Portea | |
---|---|
Flowering Portea | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Bromeliaceae |
Subfamily: | Bromelioideae |
Genus: | Portea Brongn. ex K.Koch |
Type species | |
Portea kermesina |
Portea is a genus in the plant family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. It is native to the Atlantic coast of Brazil.
The genus is named for Dr. Marius Porte, [1] a nineteenth-century French naturalist who died in 1866, in Manila, while on a specimen-collecting expedition for the French National Museum of Natural History. [2]
Portea is a small genus of New World plants, and according to the Bromeliad Binomial,[ clarification needed ] currently includes nine species. The bromeliads are endemic to the eastern Atlantic coast of Brazil, where the sea breezes, marine layer, adequate precipitation and year-round favorable temperatures can see these plants grow upwards of 5 feet (1.52 m) or taller, especially when blooms are accounted for.[ citation needed ]
They thrive in most lighting conditions, from bright shade to strong, indirect light as well as all-day sun or partial sun, being one of the bromeliad genera that does best in full sun. More light results in better leaf form, color; additionally, adequate lighting triggers repeat, annual flowering cycles, sometimes blooming twice in a year. The tall, profuse inflorescences are often dripping with nectar, and are frequented by many hummingbirds, sunbirds and other pollinators.[ citation needed ] The foliage of this genus often is quite attractive, if not simple in its lime-chartreuse green hue. Increased sunlight and slightly decreased moisture can give an appealing, “sun-stressed” reddish-bronze shade to the leaves, as can cooler autumn and winter temperatures. The length of the inflorescence is rather impressive, measuring nearly 3 feet (1 meter) long, eventually “drooping” slightly, from the weight of the flowers and berries (once pollinated), adding to the plant’s impressive stature as a whole.
As with many bromeliads, the leaves’ perimeters are lined with tiny, saw-like “teeth”, which, while not dangerously sharp—such as the spines of a Dyckia or Hechtia —, may cause an itchy reaction in the skin if contact is made. This is due to the natural presence of bromelain, an enzyme found among the Bromeliaceae and commonly used in digestive supplements. This enzyme is most prevalent, however, in pineapples (genus Ananas ), another type of bromeliad. [3]
Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
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Portea alatisepala Philcox | southeastern Brazil. | |
Portea filifera L.B. Smith | Bahia state, southeastern Brazil. | |
Portea fosteriana L.B. Smith | Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil. | |
Portea grandiflora Philcox | Bahia state, southeastern Brazil. | |
Portea kermesina K. Koch | Bahia state, southeastern Brazil. | |
Portea nana Leme & H. Luther | Bahia state, southeastern Brazil. | |
Portea orthopoda (Baker) Coffani-Nunes & Wanderley | Brazil | |
Portea petropolitana (Wawra) Mez | Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
Portea silveirae Mez | Bahia, Espírito Santo, and Minas Gerais | |
The Bromeliaceae are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana.
Tillandsia is a genus of around 650 species of evergreen, perennial flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, native to the forests, mountains and deserts of the Neotropics, from northern Mexico and the southeastern United States to Mesoamerica and the Caribbean to central Argentina. Their leaves, more or less silvery in color, are covered with specialized cells (trichomes) capable of rapidly absorbing water that gathers on them.
Puya is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae. It is the sole genus of the subfamily Puyoideae, and is composed of 226 species. These terrestrial plants are native to the Andes Mountains of South America and southern Central America. Many of the species are monocarpic, with the parent plant dying after one flower and seed production event.
Catopsis berteroniana, commonly known as the powdery strap airplant or the lantern of the forest, is an epiphytic bromeliad thought to be a possible carnivorous plant, similar to Brocchinia reducta, although the evidence is equivocal. Its native range is from southern Florida to southern Brazil. It generally grows on the unshaded twigs of trees, and has been shown experimentally to trap more insects in its tank than other bromeliads of comparable size. There are several other species in the genus, none of which is believed to be carnivorous.
Neoregelia is a genus of epiphytic flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae, native to South American rainforests. The genus name is for Eduard August von Regel, Director of St. Petersburg Botanic Gardens in Russia (1875–1892).
Billbergia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae.
Puya raimondii, also known as queen of the Andes (English), titanka and ilakuash (Quechua) or puya de Raimondi (Spanish), is the largest species of bromeliad, its inflorescences reaching up to 15 m (50 ft) in height. It is native to the high Andes of Bolivia and Peru. It was once hypothesized to be a protocarnivorous plant.
Aechmea blanchetiana, also known as orangeade bromeliad is a common bromeliad species found in the restingnas vegetation along the Atlantic Coast which is part of the Atlantic forest biome in eastern Brazil. This plant grows from the State of Bahia south to Espírito Santo. It is common worldwide in tropical and sub-tropical regions for its use as an ornamental plant.
Wittrockia is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae.
Fascicularia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the pineapple family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is from the Latin fasciculus (bundle) and arius.
Portea petropolitana is a plant species of the genus Portea, in the family Bromeliaceae.
Orthophytum magalhaesii is a plant species in the genus Orthophytum. This species is endemic to Brazil.
Quesnelia testudo is a species of bromeliad in the genus Quesnelia.
Portea alatisepala is a plant species in the genus Portea.
Portea kermesina ('kermesina'=crimson) is a plant species in the genus Portea in the bromeliad family.
Alcantarea imperialis is a species of bromeliad in the genus Alcantarea. This species is endemic to Brazil.
Portea fosteriana is a plant species in the genus Portea.
Portea grandiflora is a plant species in the genus Portea endemic to northeastern Brazil.
Portea silveirae is a plant species in the genus Portea.
Vriesea hieroglyphica is a plant species in the genus Vriesea.