3.2 Vriesea dissitiflora (C.H.Wright) Mez (1896: 604)

Basionym: — Tillandsia dissitiflora C.H. Wright (1871: 54).

Type: — CUBA. Pinar del Rio, Sierra de los Organos, Wright 3276 (holotype GH! [in part.], isotypes K!, P!, G! GOET!).

= Vriesea erici Harms (1935: 533).

Type: — CUBA. Ensenada de Vega Cuchilla, Sierra del Sitio Santo Tomas, Pinar del Rio, 12 June 1923, Ekman 16670 (holotype B!).

Description:—Plant saxicolous, flowering 1−1.5 m high. Leaves forming an infundibuliform rosette; sheath oblong, 15−20 × 12 cm, lepidote on both surfaces, denser toward the base; blade narrowly linear-oblong, triangular toward the apex, 80−86 × 6.5−8.5 cm, apex acute to acuminate, sparsely lepidote on both surfaces. Inflorescence compound, once-branched, ca. 15-flowered, ca. 120 cm, lax, erect; peduncle erect, ca. 80 cm long and 3.8 mm in diameter (in sicco), sparsely lepidote; peduncle bracts erect with suberect apex, remote, narrowly ovate to narrowly triangular, 35–50(–110) × 11 mm, inconspicuously lepidote; main axis sinuose, ca. 30 cm long, 8.2–10.5 mm in diameter, sparsely lepidote; primary bracts ovate, 30–40 × 20 mm, sparsely lepidote; spikes ca. 23 in number (including the terminal one), 25–30 cm long, in an angle of 10–20º to the main axis, 7–8 flowered, with 1–2 sterile bracts at the apex; rachis straight, 12–13 cm long, ca. 3 mm in diameter (in sicco). Floral bracts ovate, 20–30 × 15 mm, carinate at the apex, equaling or slightly exceeded by the sepals, lepidote on both surfaces. Flowers 33–35 mm long, 10–12 mm apart, secund, suberect; sepals narrowly oblong-elliptic, 20−23 × 7−11 mm, slightly carinate, symmetric, lepidote on the adaxial surface; petals ligulate, apex obtuse to rounded, 27–30 × 8.2–8.9 mm; petal appendages ca. 6 × 1.5 mm, adnate to the base of the petal, entire, with free lobe attenuate-acute; stamens included; filament ca. 8 mm long, adnate to the base of the petals for 5.5 mm; anther dorsifixed near the base, ca. 8.3 × 1.5 mm, suberect; ovary cylindrical, ca. 5 mm long and 3.5 mm in diameter. Fruits unknown.

Distribution: —This species grows saxicolous in western Cuba, ca. 400–500 m above sea level (Smith & Downs 1977).

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes: — Wright (1871 –1872) did not specify the location of the herbarium of the type collection, although he mentioned: “ T. excelsa Gris. proparte”. Smith & Downs (1977) assumed that the material in GH is the type, since it is the only mixed specimen, which also includes material of T. excelsa as confirmed by Jason Grant in 1996. The floral morphology of V. dissitiflora is related to the Brazilian species of the former Vriesea sect. Xiphion (because of the secund flowers), as in the case of V. longicaulis (Baker) Mez (1894: 542).

Grant (1995a, 1995b) indicated that this taxon could possibly be placed in Werauhia, which has a convergent geographical distribution. However, we maintain this taxon in Vriesea, especially because of the acute-acuminate shape of its petal appendages (sketch of Lyman Smith on the specimen Wright 3276 [GH]), contrasting with the dactyloid appendages in Werauhia. Important traits for generic delimitation were not found in the specimens analyzed.

Etymology: —The specific epithet “ dissitiflora ” (loosely flowered) refers to the long internode between the flowers.

Representative Specimens Examined: — CUBA. Pinar del Rio, Sumidero, 24 August 1912, Shafer 1 3476 (NY); Nothern slope of Pan de Guajaíbon, La Mulata, 16 May 1953, Alain & Acuña 3017 (US, NY).