Aechmea mulfordii

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Living vase bromelia
Aechmea mulfordii 0zz.jpg
Aechmea mulfordii at the Wilson Botanical Garden, Las Cruces Biological Station, Costa Rica
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Bromeliaceae
Genus: Aechmea
Subgenus: Aechmea subg. Platyaechmea
Species:
A. mulfordii
Binomial name
Aechmea mulfordii
L.B.Sm.
Synonyms [1]

Gravisia fosterianaL.B.Sm.

Aechmea mulfordii, the living vase bromelia, is native to the states of Pernambuco and Bahia in eastern Brazil. [1] Most of the other plants in this genus are epiphytic, which means that they live up in the branches of the trees and exist mainly on the moisture and nutrients they obtain from the air. However, Aechmea mulfordii is a large terrestrial plant, growing near the sea level on sand dunes. [2]

Contents

Aechmea mulfordii has leathery green leaves ligulate or sword-shaped. The leaves may grow to 1 m (3 ft) in length, at times much less, and form a central vase, which, in cultivation, should be kept filled with water. On this species, the primary bract greatly exceeds the lowermost branch. The flower-spikes sent up from the heart or crown of the plant are red panicle with the three outer sepaloid segments longer than the three inner or petaloid ones. Frequently confused with A. rubens and A. emmerichiae , A. mulfordii has less dense and elaborate inflorescence than A. rubens and the long, broad floral bracts conceal the ovary.

Etymology

The name of the genus Aechmea has been given by taxonomists because of the characteristically sharp points of the sepals and of the bracts covering the flower buds. The word aechmea comes from the Greek word "aichme" which means "spear tip".

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<i>Leucospermum parile</i> The Malmesbury pincushion is a shrub in the family Proteaceae from the Western Cape of South Africa

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<i>Vexatorella alpina</i> Shrub in the family Proteaceae from Namaqualand, South Africa

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<i>Vexatorella amoena</i> The Swartruggens vexator is a shrub in the family Proteaceae from the Western Cape, South Africa

Vexatorella amoena, also known as the Swartruggens vexator is an evergreen shrub of up to about 1 m (3 ft) high, that is assigned to the family Proteaceae. It has entire, inverted egg-shaped, bluish grey, leathery leaves of 1½–3 cm (0.6–1.2 in) long and 5–11 mm (0.20–0.45 in) wide on a distinct stalk, and globular flower heads of about 2 cm (0.8 in) across with pale pink flowers with extended, thick-tipped styles at the tip of the branches. The plants are flowering from September to November. It is an endemic species that is restricted to the Western Cape province of South Africa.

<i>Vexatorella obtusata</i> A species of shrub in the family Proteaceae from the Western Cape, South Africa

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<i>Vexatorella latebrosa</i> The Robertson vexator is a shrub in the family Proteaceae from the Western Cape, South Africa

Vexatorella latebrosa, also known as the Robertson vexator, is an evergreen, upright shrub of up to about 1½ m high, from the family Proteaceae. It has entire, long inverted egg-shaped, bluish grey, leathery leaves that are line-shaped to very narrowly spade-shaped in outline, 5–6½ cm (2.0–2.6 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.08–0.12 in), and mostly solitary globular flower heads at the end of the branches of 2½–3 cm (0.8 in) across with scented, pink to carmine flowers with extended, styles with a thickened tip. The plants are flowering from August to September. It is an endemic species that is restricted to the Western Cape province of South Africa.

<i>Mimetes hottentoticus</i> The matchstick pagoda is a shrub in the family Proteaceae from Western Cape province of South Africa

Mimetes hottentoticus is an evergreen, upright shrub of 1½–3 m (5–10 ft) high from the family Proteaceae. It has silvery, broadly egg-shaped to egg-shaped leaves with three small teeth crowded at the tip. The flower heads and subtending leaves form a cylindric inflorescence, topped with a tuft of smaller, more or less upright silvery or pinkish leaves. Each flowerhead contains 8–12 flowers with conspicuously red styles, that are all parallel, projected straight up, pushing against the leaf subtending the higher flowerhead. The styles end in a short white zone topped by a thick blackish pollen presenter. Flowers can usually be found from January till March, few may persist into May. It is called silver pagoda or matchstick pagoda in English and Hottentotstompie in Afrikaans.

<i>Mimetes stokoei</i> The mace pagoda is an endemic shrub in the family Proteaceae from South Africas Kogelberg, that was presumed extinct twice

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<i>Mimetes saxatilis</i> An endemic shrub in the family Proteaceae from South Africa

Mimetes saxatilis or limestone pagoda is an evergreen, upright, rarely branching shrub of 1–2¼ m high, assigned to the family Proteaceae. The approximately oval leaves are 3½–5 cm (1.4–2.0 in) long and 1½–3 cm (0.6–1.2 in) wide with a blunt, thickened, reddish tip or with three crowded teeth. It has cylinder-shaped inflorescences topped by a crest of green leaves, further consisting of heads with 12-22 individual bright yellow flowers, each in the axil of a flat, green leaf. It is an endemic species that is restricted to limestone outcrops in the Agulhas plains in the very south of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is considered an endangered species. Flowering may occur between July and December, but is unreliable in its timing, dependent on sufficient moisture availability.

<i>Protea angustata</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea angustata, also known as the Kleinmond sugarbush, is a flowering shrub that belongs to the genus Protea. This plant is endemic to the south-west Cape Region of South Africa.

<i>Protea pityphylla</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea pityphylla, also known as Ceres sugarbush or mountain rose, is a flowering shrub of the genus Protea, in the family Proteaceae. The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Martinelli, G., Magalhães Vieira, C., Gonzalez, M., Leitman, P., Piratininga, A. Ferreira da Costa, A. & Campostrini Forzza, R. (2008). Bromeliaceae da Mata Atlântica Brasileira: lista de espécies, distribuição e conservação. Rodriguésia; Revista do Instituto de Biologia Vegetal, Jardim Botânico e Estaçao Biologica do Itatiaya 59: 209-258.