Guzmania xanthobractea

Guzmania xanthobractea
Guzmania xanthobractea, Ecuador, Mindo cloud forest
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Bromeliaceae
Genus:	Guzmania
Species:	G. xanthobractea
Binomial name
Guzmania xanthobractea Gilmartin

Guzmania xanthobractea is a species of plant in the family Bromeliaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Description

The species is a terrestrial or epiphyte, clustering, flowering to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high. Rosulate, spreading leaves are 80–100 mm (3.1–3.9 in) long with elliptic, brown leaf sheaths, to 9 cm × 6 cm (3.5 in × 2.4 in) wide; leaf blades are ligulate, acuminate, 30–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) wide. Scape is red, curved, about 5 mm (0.20 in) in diameter with subfoliaceous, erect, densely imbricate bracts. Inflorescence is laxly bipinnate, about 40–50 cm (16–20 in) x 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in); primary bracts are green and red, ovate, acuminate, 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) long; spikes are ascending, subdensely ellipsoid, 10–14 cm (3.9–5.5 in) long, 40–45 mm (1.6–1.8 in) in diameter, 9–15-flowered. Floral bracts are yellow, imbricate toward apex of spike, obovate, 35–40 mm (1.4–1.6 in) x 15 mm (0.59 in) wide, thin, nerved. Sepals are obovate, acute, 20–22 mm (0.79–0.87 in) x 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in), glabrous. Petals are about 5 cm (2.0 in) long with green lobes.

References

• Smith, L.B. & R. J. Downs. 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae), Part II. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14(2): 663–1492.
• Gilmartin, A. J. 1972. The Bromeliaceae of Ecuador. Phanerog. Monogr. 4: 1–255.