Pitcairnia palmoides Mez & Sodiro

  • Authority

    Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1974. Pitcairnioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (1): 1-658. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Pitcairnia palmoides Mez & Sodiro

  • Type

    TYPE. Sodiro 171/13 (holotype, B; photo 889/5-6, 890/1, B), subtropical forest near Pangoa, Riofrio, Leon (?), Ecuador, 4 Aug 1894.

  • Description

    Description - Plant caulescent; stem elongate, rather stout, covered with dark glabrate or alutaceous-tomentose sheaths that are produced into elongate petioles and dwarfed blades. Leaves of the terminal fascicle erect, all alike, persistent; sheaths ovate, covered with a membrane of fused scales, densely dark-spinose-serrate; petioles to 50 cm long, channeled, serrate toward base with dark subspreading spines 3 mm long; blades elliptic or obovate, abruptly acute with a dark mucro, long-cuneate, to 40 cm long and 13 cm wide, entire, coriaceous, glabrous, pale green beneath. Scape erect, about equaling the leaves, very stout, terete, pale-tomentellous, becoming glabrous; scape-bracts about equaling or slightly exceeding the internodes, lance-elliptic, acute, pale-lanuginose toward base. Inflorescence erect, racemose, subdense, 30 cm long, dark-appressed-tomentellous; axis very stout, terete. Floral bracts suberect, elliptic, much exceeding the pedicels, submembranaceous, tomentellous especially beneath, the lowest 6 cm long, the others about half that; flowers arching-decurved; pedicels stout, the lower 20 mm long, the upper 12 mm. Sepals linear, acute, 25 mm long, ecarinate; petals 10 cm long, naked; stamens included; ovary 3/4 superior; ovules caudate.

  • Distribution

    Known from the type collection only.

    Ecuador South America|