Aechmea blanchetiana and Aechmea distichantha are Brazilian native bromeliads with great ornamental value, although none of the species are produced commercially. Therefore, market demands are met through nature predatory exploitation. This study intended to (1) evaluate the in vitro seed germination of A. blanchetiana and A. distichantha and (2) establish micropropagation protocols for both species, aiming at producing plantlets for the market, as well as to germplasm in vitro conservation. Germination experiments were carried out in completely randomized designs with two treatments (presence and absence of light) and seven and eight replications respectively for A. blanchetiana and A. distichantha. In vitro seedlings, produced under light conditions, were used as explants in the multiplication experiment (MS medium). The experimental design was again completely randomized, with treatments in factorial 2 (NAA concentrations; 0.05 and 0.5 μM) x 2 (cytokines: BAP and KIN) x 2 (cytokine levels: 2.2 and 4.4 μM) + 1 (control with basal MS, without growth regulators), with ten replications per treatment. We evaluated fungal and bacterial contamination, total and cumulative seed germination and number of shoots per treatment in each subculture. We observed only fungal contamination and only in A. blanchetiana (14.0%). Light favored in vitro seed germination in both species (99 and 62% respectively for A. blanchetiana and A. distichantha). MS medium + 0.5 μM NAA + 2.2 μM BAP resulted in the highest multiplication rate for both species, with significant contrasts between this treatment and the control in both species (105.62 more shoots in A. blanchetiana; 223.80 in A. distichantha). BAP promoted the formation of rootless shoots, while kinetin favored the formation of roots rather than shoots. A. blanchetiana and A. distichantha showed 90 and 97% of survival respectively in plantlet acclimatization.

Desenvolvimento floral e do óvulo e aspectos da reprodução em Aechmea sp.

Aechmea (Bromeliaceae) is a large genus with controversial systematics and distinct flower shapes and pollinators. We explored floral anatomy and development in two Aechmea spp. belonging to different subgenera to contribute useful information on reproductive biology and taxonomy. We examined floral buds using scanning electron and light microscopy to characterize the development of septal nectaries, petal appendages, ovules, stamens and carpels. In A. gamosepala, we confirmed that the petal appendages develop late, whereas in A. correia-araujoi they develop earlier during floral development. Petal appendage formation included positional changes, possibly affecting floral attributes and visitation by insects, rather than vertebrates. Nectar is released through three basal orifices distally on the ovary, and here we document the link between the nectary region, through discrete canals, upward to the conduplicate lobes of the wet stigma. Improved understanding of the floral development and morphology of Aechmea may help to explain the existence of polymorphic flowers in this genus and may have implications for studies on interactions with pollinators and systematics.

Abstract—Araeococcus lageniformis is a new species described and illustrated here based on collections from the Atlantic Forest from the south of Bahia State, northeastern Brazil, and on morphological and anatomical characters. It is distinguished from A. nigropurpureus by the diameter of the tank, the morphology of the leaf, floral bracts, and sepals, by its sessile to nearly sessile flowers, its seed morphology, and by the presence of trichomes on both sides of the leaves. So far, the species is only known from Apuarema and Ibirapitanga municipalities. The type population was found in an unprotected area, fragmented by tracks and roads, where illegal logging takes place. Here we preliminarily assessed its conservation status as critically endangered.