Introduction
In the family Bromeliaceae, Dyckia Schult. & Schult. f. is the second largest genus in the subfamily Pitcairnioideae s. str. (Givnish et al. 2007) with 164 species, being surpassed only by Pitcairnia L'Her. (403 spp.), while the remaining three pitcairnioid genera, Deuterocohnia Mez, Encholirium Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f. and Fosterella L.B. Sm., have 18 spp., 28 spp., and 32 spp., respectively (Luther 2012, Gouda et al. cont. upd.).
Dyckia is known from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. In Brazil, where about 85% of the known Dyckia species are found, it occurs from sea level to elevations over 1000 m, usually in sun-exposed niches within Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Pampa, Restinga, and more often Campos Rupestres and Cerrado vegetation. In southwest-central Brazil, rocky outcrops in the Cerrado biome of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul shelter countless Dyckia species, some of which have been described or reported in recent years, like D. excelsa Leme (Paggi et al. 2015), D. gracilis Mez (Paggi et al. 2015), D. grandidentata P.J. Braun & Pereira (Braun & Pereira 2008), D. paucispina Leme & Esteves (Leme & Pereira 2003), D. pottiorum Leme (Leme et al. 2012) and D. stolonifera P.J. Braun & Esteves (Braun & Esteves 2009). However new taxa can still be found, like the species described bellow.
Taxonomy
Dyckia divaricata Leme & H. Buneker, sp. nov. (Figs. 1--9)
This new species is morphologically similar to Dyckia walteriana Leme, D. microcalyx Baker and D. exserta L.B.Sm. It differs from D. walteriana by its shorter average height in flower (ca. 170 cm vs. ca. 210 cm), fewer leaves per rosette (20--25 vs. ca. 50), smaller leaf blades (40-45 x 2-2.3 cm vs. 75-90 x 3-3.4 cm), glabrescent peduncle (vs. subdensely to sparsely pale castaneous lanate), primary branches with fewer flowers (50-85 vs. 100-140), and densely white floccose rachis and sepals (vs. densely castaneous lanate). When compared to D. microcalyx, it differs by the longer primary branches (35-47 cm vs. 6-26 cm long.), densely white floccose rachis of the primary branches and sepals (vs. glabrous to slightly pruinose), and longer flowers (15-17 mm vs. 6-13 mm). It also differs from D. exserta by the shorter leaf blades (40-45 vs. 50-70 cm) with shorter spines (to 6 mm vs. to 9 mm) that are antrorse-uncinate (vs. the basal to median spines subspreading), the longer lateral primary branches (35-47 cm vs. ca. 16 cm), which are not at all distinct in length from the terminal one (vs. the terminal one many times longer than the lateral ones), rachis of the primary branches and sepals densely white floccose (vs. glabrous), and by the stamens exceeding the petals by the length of the anthers (vs. long exserted).
Type:--BRAZIL. Mato Grosso do Sul: Antonio Joao, along the road BR 384, Antonio Joao to Bela Vista, ca. 1.5 km before Campestre district, 480 m elevation, 22[degrees] 12' 12.42" S, 56[degrees] 00' 52.55" W, 27 February 2014, W Kranz 426, C.M. Zanella & C.A. Melo (holotype RB!, isotype HB!).
Plants rupicolous,...