Pitcairnia azouryi Martinelli & Forzza, 2006

Pitcairnia azouryi Martinelli & Forzza View in CoL , Revista Brasileira de Botânica 29(4): 603–607, 2006. ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 )

Type: — BRASIL. ESPÍRITO SANTO: Cachoeiro do Itapemirim, Fazenda Mangabeira , Pedra da Andorinha , rocky outcrop with Alcantarea , Vellozia and Trilepsis, 20°46’59”S and 41°20’94”W, elev. 130 m, 31-VIII-2004, fl., fr., G. Martinelli 15977 holotype RB! , isotypes CEPEC , K , MBM , MO , NY , SP , SPF , US .

Rupicolous, heliophilous herb, 132–160 cm tall in flowering individuals. Leaves monomorphic, erect-arched or arched, external sheaths marcescent, brown; internal sheaths aculeate, forming a bulb, 9.3–17.8 × 6.4–13.9 cm; leaf blade 21–91 × 0.6–2 cm, deciduous, bearing a clear abscission zone 5–8 cm above the sheaths, green, lanceolate, apex long-attenuate, surface lanose or not. Peduncle 112–148 cm long, green, lanuginose; bracts much longer than the internodes, lanceolate, green, apex long-attenuate lanuginose. Inflorescence simple, 15–88 cm long, straight-arched, with10 or more flowers; rachis lanuginose; floral bracts 2–5 × 0.4–0.9 cm, shorter than the flowers, lanceolate to oval-lanceolate, lanose, green, apex attenuate. Flowers zygomorphic, reflexed after anthesis, 9.1–13.4 cm long, with cream-colored petals and vinaceous maculae, pedicellate; pedicel 0.9–2.3 cm long, lanose, green; sepals 2.8–4.3 × 0.3–0.8 cm, lanceolate, lanose, green with vinaceous stains, apex acute; petals 12–14.6 × 0.9–1.2 cm, lanceolate, glabrous, apex acute, symmetric; stamens partially exserted, yellow; filament 9.8–11.6 cm long; anthers 0.7–2.4 cm long, linear, base slightly bilobed; ovary 0.9–1.4 cm long; ¾ inferior; style 10.6–12.8 cm long; stigma 0.4–0.5 cm long, conduplicate-spiral. Fruits as dehiscent capsules; seeds anemochoric, small, round and flat.

Selected material examined: — Espírito Santo: Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Burarama, inselberg Pedra Lisa, 18 October 2013, D.R.Couto 2139 (VIES); 26 February 2013, Manhães 296 (VIES); 18 April 2013, Manhães 331 (VIES); inselberg Pedra das Andorinhas, 8 December 2012, Manhães 287 (VIES); Rio de Janeiro: Campos dos Goytacazes, Morro do Coco, inselberg Pedra-Lisa, 5 March 2013, Manhães 302 (VIES); 9 August 2013, Manhães 374 (VIES).

Comment:— The main difference between the original description compared with the description presented in here is the plant height (160 cm vs. 170 cm), leaf size (91 cm vs. 72 cm) and leaf length (112.1 mm vs. 148.3 mm). These differences are due to the larger number of populations and specimens studied here.

Ecological aspects: —Flowering plants were observed from December to April in Espírito Santo, and in August in Rio de Janeiro. Pollinators were not observed in any of the visited locations during collection expeditions. Populations of the studied species were also observed with species of Araceae ( Philodendron edmundoi Barroso 1957: 90 ), Bignoniaceae ( Handroanthus sp. ), Bromeliaceae ( Alcantarea spp. ), Cactaceae ( Coleocephalocereus spp. ), Cyperaceae ( Trilepis lhotzkiana Nees 1834: 267 ), Gesneriacae ( Paliavana prasinata ( Ker Gawler 1820: 5) Bentham 1876: 1003 ), Malvaceae ( Pseudobombax petropolitanum Robyns 1963: 83 and Ceiba erianthos ( Cavanilles 1788: 294) Schumann 1886: 211 ), Myrtaceae ( Eugenia sp. ) and Velloziaceae ( Vellozia plicata Martius 1823: 16 ). Considering seed morphology and the distance between the two general areas of occurrence, approximately 60 km ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ), it is possible to assume that P. azouryi uses a stepping stone mode of dispersal (see Saura et al. 2014) as a way of colonizing new environments. However, populations of this species were not found in inselbergs between the two areas of occurrence.

Conservation status: — Pitcairnia azouryi is categorized here as endangered (EN) B1 ab(iii) and B2 ab(iii). The species is endemic to Atlantic Forest inselbergs (a very specialized habitat), its distribution is extremely restricted (EOO = 1,470 km 2) and its area of occupancy (AOO) is approximately 53 km 2. The same parameters (reduced EEO and AOO) were applied to categorize other species of Pitcairnia endemic to the Atlantic Forest (e.g., P. decidua Smith (1943: 110) , P. encholirioides Smith (1950: 146–147) and P. glaziovii Baker 1889: 92 ) as endangered ( Forzza et al. 2013: 367–370). In addition. None of the occurrence localities of P. azouryi are included within a protected conservation area. In fact, all occurrence sites are located on private properties. Of the main threats reported for Pitcairnia species in the Atlantic Forest ( Forzza et al. 2013), the presence of invasive species was not observed at the occurrence localities of P. azouryi . However, marble and granite extraction for the ornamental stone industry (Rocha & Souza 2010: 2), an activity that is very important to the local economy, is a serious threat to the vegetation of these inselbergs in the state of Espírito Santo.