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Issue: Vol. 763 No. 3: 24 Jun. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-24
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.763.3.1
Page range: 201-218
Abstract views: 0
PDF downloaded: 0

Two ornamental species of Cryptanthus (Bromeliaceae, Bromelioideae) on the brink of extinction: a new species and its congener from the 19th century

Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro; Diretoria de Pesquisas; Rua Pacheco Leão; 915; Rio de Janeiro; RJ; Brazil
Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro; Centro Nacional de Conservação da Flora; Rua Pacheco Leão; 915; Rio de Janeiro; RJ; Brazil
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EDUARDO P. FERNANDEZ

Centro Nacional de Conservação da Flora

Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco; Núcleo de Ecologia e Monitoramento Ambiental-NEMA; Campus Ciências Agrárias; Petrolina; PE; Brazil
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ANDRÉ P. FONTANA

Núcleo de Ecologia e Monitoramento Ambiental-NEMA

Laboratory of Palynology; Department of Botany; Museu Nacional; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Quinta da Boa Vista; São Cristóvão; Rio de Janeiro; RJ; Brazil; Laboratory of Plant Anatomy; Department of Botany; Institute of Biosciences; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Av. Bento Gonçalves nº 9500; Porto Alegre; RS; Brazil
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PEDRO S. DE ALMEIDA

Laboratory of Palynology, Department of Botany

Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro; Diretoria de Pesquisas; Rua Pacheco Leão; 915; Rio de Janeiro; RJ; Brazil; Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade; Parque Nacional do Descobrimento; Prado; BA; Brazil
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RAFAELA C. FORZZA

Diretoria de Pesquisas

Monocots Atlantic Forest Monte Pascoal National and Historical Park morphology taxonomy

Abstract

The authors describe and illustrate a new species of Cryptanthus, C. pataxoanus, found within the Monte Pascoal National and Historical Park, and present new data on its closest morphological relative, C. beuckeri, both endemic to the Atlantic Forest of the state of Bahia, Brazil, and assessed as Critically Endangered (CR). The new taxon represents one of the most ornamental discoveries in recent years due to its marbled foliage, with contrasting greenish-yellow and dark green colors, which is similar to C. beuckeri. The main differences between C. pataxoanus and its closest relative include leaf blades not petiolate or the basal ones sometimes subpetiolate, the much broader portion of the blades distinctly longer, the narrower sepals covered by brown-centered trichomes, and petals without glandulose trichomes. The discovery of the new species results from cooperative work with the Pataxó indigenous community living in Barra Velha and Barra Velha do Monte Pascoal Indigenous Lands, located within the boundaries of the Monte Pascoal National and Historical Park. It symbolizes the inexhaustible richness of the Brazilian biodiversity in general and the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia in particular, despite its current coexistence with high levels of threat.

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How to Cite

Leme, E.M.C., Fernandez, E.P., Fontana, A.P., Almeida, P.S.D. & Forzza, R.C. (2026) Two ornamental species of Cryptanthus (Bromeliaceae, Bromelioideae) on the brink of extinction: a new species and its congener from the 19th century. Phytotaxa 763 (3): 201–218. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.763.3.1