Hechtia guatemalensis Mez

  • Authority

    Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1974. Pitcairnioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (1): 1-658. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Hechtia guatemalensis Mez

  • Type

    TYPE. H. Pittier 137 (holotype, staminate US), San Bernardo, between Trapiche Grande and Las Canoras, Guatemala, Guatemala, Apr 1905.

  • Description

    Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home/emu/nybgweb/www-dev/htdocs/science-dev/wp-content/themes/nybgscience/lib/VHMonographsDetails.php on line 179

    Description - Plant flowering probably at least 2 m high. Leaves rosulate, 7-8 dm long; sheaths suborbicular, slightly wider than the blade; blades linear-triangular, 3-6 cm wide at the base, glabrous above, covered below with a dense even layer of white scales, the caudate apex entire, elsewhere armed with fine uncinate teeth 3-4 mm long and 5-12 mm apart. Scape slender, glabrous; scape-bracts unknown. Inflorescence amply and densely tripinnate, 1 m long, glabrous; primary bracts lance-triangular, not over 3 cm long, entire or rarely the lowest ones serrulate toward apex; branches up to 3 dm long; secondary bracts narrowly triangular, 5 mm long, membranaceous; racemes 10-15 cm long, laxly flowered. Floral bracts lanceolate or triangular, acuminate, about equaling the pedicels, scarious; pedicels in the staminate plants slender, spreading, 2 mm long, in the pistillate plants stout, reflexed, 1 mm long. Sepals elliptic in the staminate flowers, obtuse, 1.75 mm long; petals elliptic in the staminate flowers, obtuse, 5 mm long, white; stamens shorter than the petals; ovary or its rudiment almost wholly inferior, glabrous. Capsule ellipsoid, 5-8 mm long, glabrous, prominently and irregularly veined, tardily loculicidal; seeds oblong, black-brown, minutely pitted, the wing reduced to two apical tubercles and a single narrow connecting band.

  • Distribution

    On rocks and rocky slopes, 100-1200 m alt, Guatemala to Nicaragua.

    Guatemala Central America| El Progreso Guatemala Central America| Zacapa Guatemala Central America| Chiquimula Guatemala Central America| Comayagua Honduras Central America| Olancho Honduras Central America| El Salvador Central America| Ahuachapán El Salvador Central America| Chalatenango El Salvador Central America| La Libertad El Salvador Central America| San Salvador El Salvador Central America| Nueva Segovia Nicaragua Central America| Jinotega Nicaragua Central America|