The north and northwest region of Espirito Santo state, mainly the area close to the boarder of Minas Gerais State, are outstanding due to the presence of hundreds of isolated granitic inselbergs which are covered by quite well preserved typical vegetation, sheltering in most cases a flora with rich biodiversity, scientifically unexplored, and full of endemic elements. As a matter of fact, rock outcrops usually do not attract much agricultural interest, and have frequently been preserved from human impact, keeping their refugial character (Porembski et al., 1998).
These inselbergs form a breath-taking landscape, making the exploration task an extraordinary field experience (albeit arduous), usually requiring climbing techniques to reach the uppermost sites. This explains why many new species of different plant families have recently been discovered in that region, as exemplified by Alstroemeriaceae, Alstromeria capixaba M. C. Assis (Assis, 2003); Araceae, Anthurium gomesianum Nadruz (Nadruz, 2006); Begoniaceae, Begonia aguiabrancensis L. Kollmann, B. lossiae L. Kollmann (Kollmann, 2008); Orchidaceae, Bulbophyllum arianeae Fraga & Smidt, B. boudetianum Fraga (Fraga & Smidt, 2004; Fraga, 2004), Pseudolaelia brejetubensis M. Frey, P. freyi Chiron & V. P. Castro, P. maquijiensis M. Frey and P. pavopolitana M. Frey (Frey, 2003; Chiron & Castro, 2004; Frey, 2005a; Frey, 2005b); Ochnaceae, Luxemburgia mysteriosa Fraga & Feres (Fraga & Feres, 2007); Scrophulariaceae, Otacanthus fernandesii Ronse (Ronse, 2001).
Bromeliaceae is no exception. From time to time, new species from this region are coming to light, including Alcantarea roberto-kautskyi Leme (Leme, 1999), A distractila Leme & Paula (Leme & Paula, 2008), A. patriae Versieux & Wand. (Versieux & Wanderley, 2007), Orthophytum zanonii Leme (Leme, 2004), O. pseudovagans Leme & L. Kollmann (Leme & Kollmann, 2007), Vriesea vellozicola Leme & J. A. Siqueira (Leme & Siqueira-Filho, 2007) to name few. The genus Alcantarea, with its 23 known species (Luther, 2008), reveals a great potential of study in the region, as indicated by the three new taxa proposed below, with many others to come.
Alcantarea longibracteata Leme & Fraga, sp. nov. Type: Espirito Santo, Aguia Branca, Santa Luzia, propriedade de Ciro Ferreira, Pedra da Bandeira, 18[grados]58'77"S 40[grados]39'84" W, 297 m elev., 26 Apr. 2008, E. Leme 7346, L. Kollmann, A. P. Fontana, O. Ribeiro & M. Zanoni. Holotype: RB. Isotype: MBML.
A A. odorata (Leme) J. R. Grant, cui affinis, sed foliis perpaucis, haud albo-cretaceis, bracteis scapalibus quan internodia distinct superantibus, haud albo-cretaceis, supernis subpatentibus, inflorescentia pauce ramosa, bracteis floriferis majoribus, altitudinem sepalorum vix brevioribus, prope apicem per anthesim nigrescentibus differt.
Plant rupicolous, flowering ca. 230 cm high. Leaves 10 in number, laxly rosulate, suberect, forming a narrow funnelform rosette; sheaths inconspicuous, ovate, ca. 18 x 11 cm, inconspicuously and minutely brown lepidote on both sides, coriaceous, outside brown colored near the base and purplish-wine spotted toward the apex, inside pale colored; blades linear-attenuate, not narrowed at base, 120-160 x 4.7-7.5 cm, thinly coriaceous, strongly nerved mainly adaxially, inconspicously and sparsely white-lepidote to glabrescent, green, distinctly canaliculate mainly toward the base, apex acuminate-caudate, recurved. Scape stout, ca. 160 cm long, 1.5-2 cm in...