A new Wittmackia species (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae) from a hotpoint within a hotspot in Brazil

The authors describe and illustrate one new species of Wittmackia, W. aurantiolilacina, endemic to the Atlantic Forest of the region of Alto Cariri, on the border of the states of Bahia and Minas Gerais, Brazil, with a restricted geographical range, being considered Critically Endangered (CR) mainly due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and increasing frequency in fire events. The new taxon, collected during an expedition conducted as part of the Conservation Action Plan for Threatened Trees of Hiléia Baiana, a highly biodiverse region with significant gaps in botanical knowledge, is herein compared with its closely morphological relative, W. altocaririensis.

The main differences of W. aurantiolilacina are the shape of its leaves with broader blades and green or reddish apex, the shape of the floral bracts, the longer flowers, the shape of the longer but narrower sepals, which are orange, and the longer ovary of orange color. It is also compared to other species of Wittmackia presenting similar stature and color pattern. The addition of this new species of Wittmackia brings the number of members of the “Brazilian clade” to 30.