From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guzmania is a genus of over 120 species of flowering plants in the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. They are mainly stemless, evergreen, epiphytic perennials native to Florida, Central America, and northern and western South America. They are found at altitudes of up to 3,500 m (11,483 ft) in the Andean rainforests.
The genus name is for Anastasio Guzman, Spanish pharmacist and naturalist.
Several species of this genus are cultivated as indoor and outdoor garden plants. The best known is Guzmania lingulata (scarlet star) which bears orange and red bracts.
The plant dies after it has produced its flowers in summer, but new plants can easily be propagated from the offsets which appear as the parent plant dies. They are epiphytes and can do well if tied on to pieces of bark with roots bound into sphagnum moss.
Guzmanias require warm temperatures and relatively high humidity. The sac fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana (anamorph of Cochliobolus sativus) and others can cause fatal root rot in plants of this genus if the roots get too wet and cold.
Species
Guzmania acorifolia (Grisebach) Mez
Guzmania acuminata L.B. Smith
Guzmania acutispica E. Gross
Guzmania aequatorialis L.B. Smith
Guzmania albescens H. Luther & Determann
Guzmania alborosea H. Luther
Guzmania alcantareoides H. Luther
Guzmania alliodora E. Gross
Guzmania altsonii L.B. Smith
Guzmania × amoena H. Luther
Guzmania amplectens L.B. Smith
Guzmania andreana (E. Morren) Mez
Guzmania andreettae Rauh
Guzmania angustifolia (Baker) Wittmack
var. nivea L.B. Smith
Guzmania apiculata L.B. Smith
Guzmania armeniaca H. Luther
Guzmania asplundii L.B. Smith
Guzmania atrocastanea H. Luther
Guzmania attenuata L.B. Smith & R.W. Read
Guzmania bakeri (Wittmack) Mez
Guzmania barbiei Rauh
Guzmania bergii H. Luther
Guzmania berteroniana (Schultes f.) Mez
Guzmania besseae H. Luther
Guzmania betancurii H. Luther
Guzmania bicolor L.B. Smith
Guzmania bipartita L.B. Smith
Guzmania bismarckii Rauh
Guzmania blassii Rauh
Guzmania brackeana Manzanares
Guzmania bracteosa (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania brasiliensis Ule
Guzmania breviscapa H. Luther
Guzmania brevispatha Mez
Guzmania butcheri Rauh
Guzmania cabrerae Gilmartin
Guzmania calamifolia André ex Mez
var. rosacea J.R. Grant
Guzmania calothyrsus Mez
Guzmania candelabrum (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania caricifolia (André ex Baker) L.B. Smith
Guzmania cerrohoyaensis H. Luther
Guzmania cinnabarina H. Luther & K. Norton
Guzmania circinnata Rauh
Guzmania claviformis H. Luther
Guzmania compacta Mez
Guzmania condensata Mez & Wercklé
Guzmania condorensis H. Luther
Guzmania confinis L.B. Smith
Guzmania confusa L.B. Smith
Guzmania conglomerata H. Luther
Guzmania conifera (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania coriostachya (Grisebach) Mez
Guzmania corniculata H. Luther
Guzmania cuatrecasasii L.B. Smith
Guzmania cuzcoensis L.B. Smith
Guzmania cylindrica L.B. Smith
Guzmania dalstroemii H. Luther
Guzmania danielii L.B. Smith
Guzmania darienensis H. Luther
Guzmania delicatula L.B. Smith
Guzmania densiflora Mez
Guzmania desautelsii L.B. Smith & R.W. Read
Guzmania devansayana E. Morren
Guzmania diazii H. Luther
Guzmania diffusa L.B. Smith
Guzmania dissitiflora (André) L.B. Smith
Guzmania donnell-smithii Mez ex Donnell Smith
Guzmania dudleyi L.B. Smith
Guzmania dussii Mez
Guzmania ecuadorensis Gilmartin
Guzmania eduardii André ex Mez
Guzmania ekmanii (Harms) Harms ex Mez
Guzmania elvallensis H. Luther
Guzmania erythrolepis Brongniart ex Planchon
Guzmania farciminiformis H. Luther
Guzmania fawcettii Mez
Guzmania filiorum L.B. Smith
Guzmania flagellata S. Pierce & J.R. Grant
Guzmania foetida Rauh
Guzmania formosa H. Luther
Guzmania fosteriana L.B. Smith
Guzmania fuerstenbergiana (Kirchoff & Wittmack) Wittmack
Guzmania fuquae H. Luther & Determann
Guzmania garciaensis Rauh
Guzmania glaucophylla Rauh
Guzmania globosa L.B. Smith
Guzmania glomerata Mez & Wercklé
Guzmania gloriosa (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania goudotiana Mez
Guzmania gracilior (André) Mez
Guzmania gracilis H. Luther
Guzmania graminifolia (André ex Baker) L.B. Smith
Guzmania harlingii H. Luther
Guzmania hedychioides L.B. Smith
Guzmania henniae H. Luther
Guzmania herrerae H. Luther & W.J. Kress
Guzmania hirtzii H. Luther
Guzmania hitchcockiana L.B. Smith
Guzmania hollinensis H. Luther
Guzmania inexpectata H. Luther
Guzmania izkoi Manzanares & W. Till
Guzmania jaramilloi H. Luther
Guzmania kalbreyeri (Baker) L.B. Smith
Guzmania kareniae H. Luther & K. Norton
Guzmania kentii H. Luther
Guzmania killipiana L.B. Smith
Guzmania kraenzliniana Wittmack
Guzmania kressii H. Luther & K. Norton
Guzmania laeta H. Luther
Guzmania lehmanniana (Wittmack) Mez
Guzmania lemeana Manzanares
Guzmania lepidota (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania lindenii (André) André ex Mez
var. concolor Rauh
Guzmania lingulata (Linnaeus) Mez
var. cardinalis (André) André ex Mez
var. minor (Mez) L.B. Smith & Pittendrigh
var. flammea (L.B. Smith) L.B. Smith
var. concolor Proctor & Cedeño-Maldonado
Guzmania × litaensis H. Luther
Guzmania longibracteata Betancur & Salinas
Guzmania longipetala (Baker) Mez
Guzmania loraxiana J.R. Grant
Guzmania lychnis L.B. Smith
Guzmania macropoda L.B. Smith
Guzmania madisonii H. Luther
Guzmania manzanaresiorum H. Luther
Guzmania marantoidea (Rusby) H. Luther
Guzmania megastachya (Baker) Mez
Guzmania melinonis Regel
Guzmania membranacea L.B. Smith & Steyermark
Guzmania mitis L.B. Smith
Guzmania monostachia (Linnaeus) Rusby ex Mez
var. variegata hortus ex Nash
var. alba Ariza-Julia
Guzmania morreniana (Linden hortus) Mez
Guzmania mosquerae (Wittmack) Mez
Guzmania mucronata (Grisebach) Mez
Guzmania multiflora (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania musaica (Linden & André) Mez
var. zebrina Cutak
var. concolor L.B. Smith
var. discolor H. Luther
var. rosea H. Luther
Guzmania nicaraguensis Mez & Baker ex Mez
Guzmania nidularioides L.B. Smith & R.W. Read
Guzmania nubicola L.B. Smith
Guzmania nubigena L.B. Smith
Guzmania obtusiloba L.B. Smith
Guzmania oligantha Lozano
Guzmania osyana (E. Morren) Mez
Guzmania pallida L.B. Smith
Guzmania palustris (Wittmack) Mez
Guzmania paniculata Mez
Guzmania pattersonae Manzanares
Guzmania patula Mez & Wercklé
Guzmania pearcei (Baker) L.B. Smith
Guzmania pennellii L.B. Smith
Guzmania plicatifolia L.B. Smith
Guzmania plumieri (Grisebach) Mez
Guzmania polycephala Mez & Wercklé ex Mez
Guzmania poortmanii (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania pseudospectabilis H. Luther
Guzmania pungens L.B. Smith
Guzmania puyoensis Rauh
Guzmania radiata L.B. Smith
Guzmania rauhiana H. Luther
Guzmania regalis H. Luther
Guzmania remediosensis E. Gross
Guzmania remyi L.B. Smith
Guzmania retusa L.B. Smith
Guzmania rhonhofiana Harms
var. rhonhofiana
forma variegata H. Luther
Guzmania roezlii (E. Morren) Mez
Guzmania rosea L.B. Smith
Guzmania roseiflora Rauh
Guzmania rubrolutea Rauh
Guzmania rugosa L.B. Smith & R.W. Read
Guzmania sanguinea (André) André ex Mez
var. brevipedicellata Gilmartin
var. comosa H. Luther
Guzmania scandens H. Luther & W.J. Kress
Guzmania scherzeriana Mez
Guzmania septata L.B. Smith
Guzmania sibundoyorum L.B. Smith
Guzmania sieffiana H. Luther
Guzmania skotakii H. Luther
Guzmania sneidernii L.B. Smith
Guzmania spectabilis (Mez & Wercklé) J. Utley
Guzmania sphaeroidea (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania sprucei (André) L.B. Smith
Guzmania squarrosa (Mez & Sodiro) L.B. Smith & Pittendrigh
Guzmania stenostachya L.B. Smith
Guzmania steyermarkii L.B. Smith
Guzmania straminea (K. Koch) Mez
Guzmania striata L.B. Smith
Guzmania stricta L.B. Smith
Guzmania strobilantha (Ruiz & Pavón) Mez
Guzmania subcorymbosa L.B. Smith
Guzmania tarapotina Ule
Guzmania tenuifolia (H. Luther) Betancur & Salinas
Guzmania terrestris L.B. Smith & Steyermark
Guzmania testudinis L.B. Smith & R.W. Read
var. splendida H. Luther
Guzmania teucamae H. Luther & K. Norton
Guzmania teuscheri L.B. Smith
Guzmania triangularis L.B. Smith
Guzmania undulatobracteata (Rauh) Rauh
Guzmania vanvolxemii (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania variegata L.B. Smith
Guzmania ventricosa (Grisebach) Mez
Guzmania verecunda L.B. Smith
Guzmania victoriae Rauh
Guzmania virescens (Hooker) Mez
Guzmania viridiflora E. Gross
Guzmania vittata (Martius ex Schultes f.) Mez
Guzmania weberbaueri Mez
Guzmania wittmackii (André) André ex Mez
Guzmania xanthobractea Gilmartin
Guzmania xipholepis L.B. Smith
Guzmania zahnii (Hooker f.) Mez
var. longiscapa Rauh
Guzmania zakii H. Luther
The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of around 3,170 species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana. They are one of the basal families within the Poales and are unique because they are the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphyte Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and a large number of desert-dwelling succulents.
The largest bromeliad is
Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is Spanish moss.
Description
Bromeliads are a varied group of organisms, adapted to a number of climates. Foliage take different shapes, from needle-thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky to soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is the most widely patterned and colored of any plant in the world. Leaf colors range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variegations. Others may be spotted with purple, red, or cream, while others have different colors on the tops and bottoms of the leaves.
The inflorescences produced by bromeliads are also regarded as considerably more diverse than any other plant family. Some flower spikes may reach 10 meters tall, while others only measure 2–3 mm across. Upright stalks may be branched or simple with spikes retaining their color from two weeks up to 12 months, depending on species. In some species, the flower remains unseen, growing deep in the base of the plants.
Root systems vary according to plant type. Terrestrial bromeliad species have complex root systems that gather water and nutrients, while epiphytic bromeliads only grow hard, wiry roots to attach themselves to trees and rocks.
Some bromeliads are faintly scented, while others are heavily perfumed. Blooms from the species
Tillandsia cyanea resemble the smell of clove spice.
One study found 175,000 bromeliads per hectare (2.5 acres) in one forest; that many bromeliads can sequester 50,000 liters (more than 13,000 gallons) of water.
A wide variety of organisms take advantage of the pools of water trapped by bromeliads. A study of 209 plants from the Ecuadorian lowlands identified 11,219 animals, representing more than 300 distinct species, many of which are found only on bromeliads. Examples include some species of ostracods, small salamanders about 2.5 cm (1 in) in length, and tree frogs. Jamaican bromeliads are home to
Metopaulias depressus, a reddish-brown crab 2 cm (0.75 inch) across, which has evolved social behavior to protect its young from predation by
Diceratobasis macrogaster, a species of damselfly whose larvae live in bromeliads. Some bromeliads even form homes for other species of bromeliads.
Distribution
Plants in the Bromeliaceae are widely represented in their natural climates across the Americas. One species can be found in Africa. They can be found at altitudes from sea level to 4200 meters, from rainforests to deserts. Approximately half the species are epiphytes, some are lithophytes, and some are terrestrial. Accordingly, these plants can be found in the Andean highlands, from northern Chile to Colombia, in the Sechura Desert of coastal Peru, in the cloud forests of Central and South America, in southern United States from southern Virginia to Florida to Texas, and in far southern Arizona.
Evolution
Bromeliads are one of the more recent plant groups to have emerged. The greatest number of primitive species reside in the Andean highlands of South America, where they originated in the tepuis of the Guyana Shield. The most basal genus,
Brocchinia, is endemic to these tepuis, and is placed as the sister group to the remaining genera in the family. The west African species
Pitcairnia feliciana is the only bromeliad not endemic to the Americas, and is thought to have reached Africa via long-distance dispersal about 12 million years ago.
Adaptations
The plants within the Bromeliaceae are able to live in a vast array of environmental conditions due to their many adaptations. Trichomes, in the form of scales or hairs, allow bromeliads to capture water in cloud forests and help to reflect sunlight in desert environments. Some bromeliads have also developed an adaptation known as the tank habit, which involves them forming a tightly bound structure with their leaves that helps to capture water and nutrients in the absence of a well-developed root system. Bromeliads also use crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis to create sugars. This adaptation allows bromeliads in hot or dry climates to open their stomates at night rather than during the day, which reduces water loss.
Classification
The family Bromeliaceae is currently placed in the order Poales.
Subfamilies
The family Bromeliaceae is organized into three subfamilies:
Bromelioideae (32 genera, 861 species)
Pitcairnioideae (16 genera, 1030 species)
Tillandsioideae (9 genera, 1277 species)