Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158, 709–715. With 15 figures Checklist and one new species of Bromeliaceae from Pico do Itambé, Minas Gerais, Brazil LEONARDO M. VERSIEUX* Instituto de Botânica, Caixa Postal 3005, 01061-970, São Paulo-SP, Brazil Received 2 January 2007; accepted for publication 5 June 2008 A checklist of the 11 genera and 16 species of Bromeliaceae from the Parque Estadual do Pico do Itambé in Santo Antônio do Itambé and Serra Azul de Minas, Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil, is presented. Bromelioideae is the most diverse subfamily and is concentrated in forested areas. Tillandsioideae and Pitcairnioideae are most abundant in elevated areas of campo rupestre vegetation. Vriesea medusa Versieux, a new night-blooming species belonging to section Xiphion (E.Morren) E.Morren ex Mez, was found in the area and is described and illustrated. It appears to be an endemic species distinguished from Vriesea nanuzae Leme by a combination of the usually larger dimensions in the rosette, the curved inflorescence which has lateral peduncles bearing up to five sterile bracts, the larger number of flowers, floral bracts and sepals that become dark purplish-brown towards the apex and the coloration of the leaves. Dyckia glandulosa L.B.Sm. & Reitz and Vriesea densiflora Mez, previously poorly known, were rediscovered and are depicted in their habitat for the first time. Vriesea procera var. tenuis L.B.Sm. is a new record for the state. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158, 709–715. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: campo rupestre – Serra do Espinhaço – Tillandsioideae – Vriesea – Xiphion. INTRODUCTION sis V.C.Souza & S.I.Elias (Orobanchaceae) and Orthophytum itambense Versieux & Leme (Bromeli- The state of Minas Gerais is rich in both genera and aceae), revealing that it is a region of great plant species of Bromeliaceae. Versieux & Wendt (2007) endemism, integrating the biologically rich Serra do showed that most Bromeliaceae collections within Espinhaço. Nevertheless, some of these taxa previ- Minas Gerais come from areas of campo rupestre ously considered to be locally endemic now show vegetation, along the Serra do Espinhaço. Despite broader ranges. this, the region encompassing the highest point of A state park was created in 1998, encompassing Espinhaço in Minas Gerais, the Pico do Itambé, has the Pico do Itambé and surrounding areas, totalling produced few records for Bromeliaceae. c. 4700 ha. However, the demarcation of the park The Pico do Itambé region has attracted attention boundaries is still in progress. The area of the Pico do and visits from botanists since the 19th century, Itambé has been occupied for centuries by dairy albeit sporadically. Many taxa have been discovered farmers, who take advantage of the suitable, natural at the Pico do Itambé area since the first explorations fields for pasture. Fire is frequently used to clean and of this remote and elevated mountain, such as reinvigorate these fields, particularly during the dry Lavoisiera itambana DC. (Melastomataceae), Cassia season, and this seems to be the major conservation itambana Mart. ex Benth. (Fabaceae), Laelia itam- problem affecting areas adjacent to the park. bana Pabst (Orchidaceae), Huperzia itambensis This work is an attempt to list Bromeliaceae known B.Øllg. & P.G.Windisch (Lycopodiaceae), Xyris itam- to occur in the Parque Estadual do Pico do Itambé, bensis (Xyridaceae) Kral & Wand., Agalinis itamben- describe one new species and present coloured illus- trations of previously poorly known taxa from this *E-mail: [email protected] area that have been re-collected during this survey. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158, 709–715 709 710 L. M. VERSIEUX Figures 1, 2. Study site. Fig. 1. Map of Minas Gerais State showing the location of Parque Estadual do Pico do Itambé (᭡). Fig. 2. Photograph of Pico do Itambé (by W. R. Anderson). MATERIAL AND METHODS Figs 3–14). Bromelioideae, the best represented (six STUDY SITE genera and eight species) is concentrated along the forested areas, including the riparian forests at The Parque Estadual do Pico do Itambé is situated lower altitudes. Pitcairnioideae (three genera and between the municipalities of Santo Antônio do Itambé three species) and Tillandsioideae (two genera and and Serra Azul de Minas, in the north-central part five species) are concentrated in open and elevated of Minas Gerais, c. 40 km south-east of the town areas of campo rupestre, where the rupicolous life of Diamantina (Fig. 1). The Pico do Itambé (2062 m, form prevails (Table 1). 18°23′57″S, 43°20′53.5″W, Fig. 2) is a quartzite massif Two endemic species are restricted to the bound- that corresponds to the highest point of the Serra aries of the park: Dyckia glandulosa L.B.Sm. & Reitz do Espinhaço in Minas Gerais. Itambé, from the (Figs 7, 8) and Orthophytum itambense Versieux & Tupi-Guarani language, means ‘sharp rock’ (Silveira- Leme (Fig. 12). The former occurs in campo rupestre Bueno, 1998). vegetation and, although quite common above METHODS 1200 m, is rare in herbaria collections; the latter is restricted to shaded and moist quartzite outcrops The preliminary list of Bromeliaceae species occur- inside the riparian forest (Fig. 9), close to cachoeira ring in the Parque Estadual do Pico do Itambé was da Fumaça (Versieux & Wendt, 2006; Versieux & obtained from the database of Bromeliaceae of Minas Leme, 2007). Vriesea densiflora Mez is also a rare Gerais, which contains c. 2700 records from 14 her- species, known from only one collection besides the baria collections from Brazil and the USA (Versieux & type specimen. Currently, the species range is larger Wendt, 2006, 2007). Three expeditions to the study than previously believed as one new population was site were carried out in August 2003, December 2005 recently found in Parque Estadual do Rio Preto, and November 2006. During the fieldwork, annota- c. 50 km north–north-west of Pico do Itambé (P. L. tions were made regarding the habitat, and geo- Viana, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Hori- graphical coordinates and approximate elevation zonte, pers. com.). Blooming and fruiting specimens range were obtained for each species using a Global are presented in Figures 13, 14. Tillandsia sp. and Positioning System (GPS). Specimens were photo- Vriesea minor (L.B.Sm.) Leme (Fig. 6) have been graphed in their habitat and then collected, dried and observed and photographed in the study area but included in RFA, SP and SPF herbaria; duplicates were not collected. were sent to BHCB. The collection area encompasses The total number of Bromeliaceae genera and the trail leading to the Pico do Itambé and also species found in Parque Estadual do Pico do Itambé is private farms close to the waterfalls Lajeado and already higher than that from Serra do Ambrósio, Fumaça (c. 800–1200 m). also an elevated range of the Espinhaço, c. 40 km towards the north, which has six genera and eight RESULTS AND DISCUSSION species (Pirani et al., 1994). These areas share Encho- The Parque Estadual do Pico do Itambé supports 11 lirium subsecundum and Vriesea minor. The total genera and 16 species of Bromeliaceae (Table 1, number of genera and species is expected to increase © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158, 709–715 BROMELIACEAE FROM PICO DO ITAMBÉ 711 Table 1. Preliminary list of Bromeliaceae from Parque Estadual do Pico do Itambé, Minas Gerais, Brazil SUBFAMILY Taxon and voucher Distribution within the park BROMELIOIDEAE Acanthostachys strobilacea (Schult. & Schult.f.) Klotzsch MSF; 800 m; Epi L.M. Versieux 340 (SP) Aechmea bromeliifolia Baker ex Benth. & Hook.f. var. albobracteata Philcox MSF; 800–900 m; Epi, Ter A.P.G. Faria 171 (RFA) Aechmea nudicaulis Griseb. var. cuspidata Baker MSF; CR; 700–1100 m; Epi, Rup W.R. Anderson 36001 (NY, US) Ananas nanus (L.B.Sm.) L.B.Sm. MSF; <900 m; Ter L.M. Versieux 153 (RFA) Billbergia amoena (Lodd.) Lindl. var. amoena MSF; CR; 700–1500 m; Rup L. Rossi CFCR 3013 (RB) Neoregelia bahiana (Ule) L.B.Sm. CR; >1000 m; Rup E. Leme 775 (RB) *Neoregelia aff. brownii Leme MSF; 800–900 m; Ter W.R. Anderson 36017 (NY, SEL, US) †Orthophytum itambense Versieux & Leme RFO; 800–900 m; Rup L.M. Versieux 149 (BHCB, HB, RFA) PITCAIRNIOIDEAE †Dyckia glandulosa L.B.Sm. & Reitz CR; 1100–2000 m, Rup L.M. Versieux 334 (SP) *Encholirium subsecundum (Baker) Mez CR; 1100 m; Rup G. M. Magalhães 18938 (HB) *Pitcairnia curvidens L.B.Sm. & Read CR; >1200 m; Rup W.R. Anderson 35851 (SP, US) TILLANDSIOIDEAE *Vriesea densifloraMez CR; 1200–2000 m; Rup L.M. Versieux 332 (SP) †Vriesea medusa Versieux CR; 1500–2000 m; Rup L.M. Versieux 331 (SP) *Vriesea minor (L.B.Sm.) Leme CR; 1500–2000 m; Rup Only photographed with remnants of fruits (Fig. 3D) Vriesea procera var. tenuis L.B.Sm. MSF, RFO; 700–1000 m; Epi L.M. Versieux 257 (SP) Tillandsia sp. MSF, RFO; 700–1000 m; Epi Only observed from sterile specimens *Endemic to Minas Gerais. †Endemic to Parque Estadual do Pico do Itambé. Taxa are organized by subfamily and followed by the collector/s of a voucher (herbarium in parentheses). The distribution within the park is listed as follows: habitat (CR, campo rupestre; MSF, montane semi-deciduous forest; RFO, riparian forest with quartzite outcrops); elevation; life form (Epi, epiphyte; Rup, rupicolous; Ter, terricolous). as more locations inside the park undergo additional São Paulo (Smith & Downs, 1977), now recorded for explorations, allowing more complete comparisons the first time in Minas Gerais. with other regions of the Espinhaço range. While checking specimens from the US herbarium, Other species of interest found in the area are one indeterminate collection of Vriesea from Pico Aechmea bromeliifolia var.