Pitcairnia pugana Gonz. –Rocha et P. Carrillo, sp. nov. (Figs. 1, 6)

Type:— MEXICO, Jalisco: municipality of Mazamitla, cascada Los Cazos, 3.5 km aprox. al SW de Mazamitla, sierra del Tigre, 19º53’35.9’’N, 103º02’29.8’’W, bosque de Quercus alterado, 2100 m, 14 June 2017, E. González-Rocha & P. Carrillo-Reyes 403 (holotype UAMIZ!, isotypes IBUG!, MEXU!).

Diagnosis: — Pitcairnia pugana is similar to P. jaliscana but differs in the inflorescence direction (curved vs. erect), in the size and indument of the peduncle (16–25 cm long, densely white-lepidote vs. 12–40 cm long, sparsely white-lepidote to glabrescent) and in the size of the peduncle bracts (12–29 cm long, barely surpassing the peduncle vs. 12–57 cm long, much longer than the peduncle).

Description: — Plant saxicolous, cespitose, 23–54 cm high in flower. Roots fibrous. Stem bulbous, 3–5.5 cm long, 2–4 cm diameter. Leaves not petiolate; sheath brown abaxially, light brown adaxially, widely ovate to ovate, 2–4.3 cm long, 1.3–3 cm wide, entire; leaf blades of three different kinds: the first and main ones foliaceous, green, linear, 21–40 cm long, 6‒10 mm wide, entire except on the persiting base, conspicuously nerved, glabrous adaxially, densely white-lepidote abaxially, not present during flowering season, deciduous by a transverse line of abscission well above the sheath and the persistent portion denselly white-lepidote adaxially, sparselly white-lepidote abaxially and with antrorse spiny-teeth ca. 1 mm long on the margins; the second ones reduced and sheath like, papiraceous, 5–6 cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide, lanceolate to narrowly oblong, entire, acuminate, conspicuously nerved, sparsely lepidote adaxially, white lepidote abaxially; the third ones non-photosynthetic, with a stiff persistent brown linear blade, 1.5–4.5 cm long, ca. 1 mm wide, glabrous adaxially, densely white-lepidote abaxially, with retrorse spiny-teeth ca. 1 mm long on the margins. Inflorescence racemose, curved; peduncle red, 16–25 cm long, 1.5–4 mm diameter, densely white-lepidote, totally covered by the peduncle bracts in the basal portion, partly visible in distal portion; peduncle bracts green, lanceolate, entire, acuminate, glabrous adaxially, densely white-lepidote abaxially, the basal ones foliaceous, 12–29 cm long, 8–11 mm wide, much exceeding the internodes, almost as long as the peduncle; the distal ones green, 2–4.2 cm long, 6–8 mm wide, longer than internodes, nearly completely covering the peduncle; raceme 7–22 cm long, with 10–27 flowers loosely to subdensely and polystichous arranged along the rachis, internodes up to 1.8 cm long; rachis visible, densely to sparsely white-lepidote, green to reddish; floral bracts green with reddish tones towards the base, ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–3.5 cm long, 6–10 mm wide, entire, acuminate, glabrous adaxially, densely white-lepidote abaxially, longer than pedicels, never surpassing the sepals, decreasing in size distally; flowers erect to divaricate at anthesis, slightly zygomorphic, pedicellate; pedicels slender, erect to divaricate, 3–23 mm long, white-lepidote; sepals red, narrowly triangular-ovate, 2–2.7 cm long, 5–7 mm wide, acuminate, glabrous adaxially, sparsely white-lepidote abaxially especially on the keel, the two adaxial ones carinate; petals red, very narrowly oblong, 5.4–6.2 cm long, 6–12 mm wide, rounded then obtuse, turning to one side forming a cap over the stamens, short unguiculate, the claw 4–6 mm long, white, without a nectary scale at the base; stamens 4.8–5.9 cm long, shorter than petals; filaments white, linear, 4–5 cm long; anthers yellow, linear, 7–9 mm long, basifixed; ovary 7–8 mm long, 3–4 mm diameter, ovoid; style 4.5–5.6 cm long. Capsules light brown, ovoid, trigonous, 13–15 mm long, ca. 5 mm diameter, rostrate; seeds reddish brown, fusiform, without appendages ca. 2 mm long, bicaudate, the caudae filiform, ca. 0.5 mm long.

Habitat, distribution and phenology: — Pitcairnia pugana is known so far only from the state of Jalisco, in the biogeographic Transmexican Volcanic Belt, Sierra Madre del Sur and Chihuahuan Desert provinces (Fig. 1); it grows on rock walls, near streams, in coniferous forests and Quercus forests with elements of tropical deciduous forest, at elevations between 1200 and 2200 m. The especies flowers during May to June and has immature fruits in August and September.

Etymology: —The especies honors Luz María Villarreal de Puga (1913–2013) (Fig. 4C), an outstanding professor and dedicated botanist who carried out extraordinary work as a teacher and educator, and promoted studies on the flora and vegetation in the state of Jalisco for many years, and contributed noticeable in expanding the herbarium of Instituto de Botánica de la Universidad de Guadalajara (IBUG).

Comments: —Specimens of the new species had previously been identified as P. karwinskyana, P. pteropoda and/or P. jaliscana. However, the detailed analysis of the material allowed us to conclude that it was novelty. The new species here proposed, which is distinguished by the presence of a dense and white indument that covers almost all vegetative and floral structures, a character not present in any of the afore mentioned species (see Table 1).

Examined specimens (paratypes): —JALISCO. Chapala. Sin localidad, E.W.D. Holway No. A (GH). Jocotepec. San Juan Cosalá, serranía Tecuán, L.M. Villarreal de Puga 440 (ENCB); Sierra del Tecuán, San Juan Cosalá, L.M. Villarreal de Puga 3203 (IBUG). Mazamitla. Jardín Encantado, ca de 2.5 km al SW de Mazamitla, E. González-Rocha & P. Carrillo-Reyes 404 (UAMIZ); a 4 km al sur de Mazamitla, R. Hernández M. 406 (MEXU); sierra del Tigre, 3 miles south of Mazamitla, R. McVaugh 13091 (MEXU, MICH, TEX, US). Quitupan. Cerro de Quitupan, J.F. Barragán C. 47 (IBUG); 22 km al E de la Puerta del Zapatero, brecha al Montoso, J. Villa C. & I. Tejeda P. 766 (IEB, IBUG, MICH). Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. Cerro Viejo, frente a San Miguel Cuyutlán, J.A. Machuca N. 5855 (XAL). Tolimán. Rancho San Pedro Toxín, A. Rodríguez C., C. Ramírez S. & H. Arreola 2051 (IBUG). Zapotlán el Grande. Barrancas near Zapotlán, C.G. Pringle 5372 (MEXU).