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Anthurium bromelicola and A. sterilispadix (Araceae): two distinct bromeliad commensals with highly unusual inflorescence morphology endemic to Northeast Brazil

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Abstract

Anthurium sterilispadix (previously A. bromelicola subsp. bahiense) is recognized as a new species, closely related to A. bromelicola and representing a third species of Araceae exhibiting commensalism with Bromeliaceae. The two species share the same highly unusual slender twining habit but differ markedly in inflorescence morphology, each exhibiting characteristics unique in the genus and suggesting divergent pollination biology. In A. sterilispadix, the spathe spreads widely without differentiation into tube and lamina, the lamina is smooth and pink adaxially showing colour changes according to the stage of anthesis and the greater part of the narrowly tapering pale yellow spadix consists of modified sterile flowers which appear to be osmophoric. In A. bromelicola the spathe has tube-blade dimorphism, is adaxially deep purple and conspicuously ribbed, the spadix is relatively stout and the flowers have black-purple tepals and are all fertile. Anatomical study of leaves and inflorescences of both species revealed unusual features for the genus, such as the presence of vascularized ribs in the A. bromelicola spathe, and sterile osmophoric regions in the A. sterilispadix spadix; these novel characters are documented and discussed for the first time here. Nomenclature, taxonomic descriptions, images, geographical and ecological notes and an identification key are presented. Both species are endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest region and are estimated to be endangered.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001. We thank the following other funding agencies: CNPq (Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) via the PPBio Mata Atlântica (#457483/2012-1), and Universal Project (#436283/2018-2) and CAPES (#AUX1398/2010) programmes. We thank Matheus Nogueira for identification of Bromeliaceae, Prof. Dr. Cláudia E. Carneiro for support in the Plant Morphology Laboratory (LAMIV) of the State University of Feira de Santana (UEFS), Lucas Marinho for help in creating the plates, and the anonymous reviewers for their invaluable contributions. We are grateful to Dr. Marc Gibernau for information on aroid pollination syndromes. Simon Mayo thanks the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew for logistic support. André M. Amorim thanks CNPq for his Research Productivity Grant (#312404/2018-2) and Lívia Godinho Temponi thanks CNPq for his Research Productivity Grant (# 310302/2018-8).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Avenida Transnordestina, Novo Horizonte, 44036-900, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil

    Karena M. Pimenta

  2. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, UK

    Simon Mayo

  3. Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Rua Universitária, 2069, Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil

    Lívia G. Temponi

  4. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Leão 915, Jardim Botânico, 22460-030, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    André Mantovani

  5. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Km 16, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, 45662-900, Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil

    André M. Amorim

  6. Herbário Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau Herbário CEPEC Km 22, Rodovia Itabuna-Ilhéus, 45650-970, Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil

    André M. Amorim

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  1. Karena M. Pimenta
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Pimenta, K.M., Mayo, S., Temponi, L.G. et al. Anthurium bromelicola and A. sterilispadix (Araceae): two distinct bromeliad commensals with highly unusual inflorescence morphology endemic to Northeast Brazil. Plant Syst Evol 307, 6 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-020-01722-3

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