Dyckia braunii

Photo by O. Ribeiro in Jalapão, Tocantins, Brazil

Dyckia braunii

Rauh, J.Brom.Soc. 40: 25-6. 1990 ; Trop.Subtrop. Pflanz.75: 8-10. 1990

Plant stemless, somewhat bulbous at the base, growing singly or forming loose groups (fig. 13), flowering up to 70 cm high.

Leaves few, forming a flat rosette up to 9 cm high and up to 20 cm, seldom 24 cm in diameter.

Sheaths broad ovate, up to 2 cm high and 4 cm wide, white, brownish beneath.

Blades narrow-triangular, 8-12 cm long, up to 3.5 cm wide at the base, tapering into a hard, pungent, brown tip, succulent, canaliculate, densely silver-gray lepidote on both sides, strongly nerved on the upper side, laxly serrate with curved, dark brown spines, up to 4 mm long; young blades erect, the elder ones curved back.

Scape axillary, up to 50 cm long, reddish-brown, glabrous.

Scape bracts: the basal ones subfoliate, the upper ones much shorter than the internodes, lanceolate, acute, soon drying off.

Inflorescence 10-15 cm long, simple, rarely branched, with a glabrous, reddish-green rachis and 8-12 laxly arranged, sessile flowers.

Floral bracts lanceolate, up to 4 mm long, acute, entire, greenish-brown, glabrous, much shorter than the sepals;

Sepals ecarinate, obtuse, up to 7 mm long, 3 mm wide, orange-yellow, green tipped.

Petals up to 1 cm long, ecarinate, ob­tuse, erect, orange-yellow.

Stamens and style included at anthesis; anthers postfloral exserted; filaments white, 8 mm long, free above the short common tube. Style distinct, 1.7 mm long, much shorter than the stamens.

Flowers odorless.

Holotype: Pierre Braun and Esteves Pereira Nr. 690 (9.7.1986)=B.G.H. 68 106, in (HEID).

Distribution: Southeastern Brazil: northern Serra Geral do Parana, 1400 m, on open ground among grasses and low scrub, 1400 m.

A Dyckia marnier-lapostolleo L.B. Smith var. lapostolleo et var. estevesio Rauh differt characteribus sequentibus: Planta non dense pulvinata, sed laxe gregaria. Rosulae tantum usque ad 20, rarius 25 cm diamentientes. Laminae foliorum basi tantum usque ad 3.5 cm latae, utrimque metallice cano-argenteo-­lepidotae, supra distincte canaliculatae. Inflorescentiae 30-70 cm longae. Flores tantum 1 cm longi, inodori, subanthesi tantum paulum aperti. Antherae tantum post anthesin exsertae.

Holotypus: Pierre Braun et Esteves Pereira No. 690 (9.7.1986)=B.G.H. 68 106, in herb. inst. bot. system. univ. heidelb. (HEID).

Patria et distributio: Serra Geral do Parana septentrionalis (Estado Goias) ter­ricola apud 1400 m.s.m. inter gramines et suffrutices vel frutices humiles.

Dyckia braunii, named after Pierre Braun (Frechen, W. Germany), the ex­plorer of the Brazilian cactus vegetation, is cultivated in the Botanical Garden of the University of Heidelberg under number 68 106. It is related to Dyckia marnier-lapostollei, which is also distributed in the state of Goias, and grows in similar localities. D. braunii differs from it in the following characteristics: Plant not forming dense cushions as D. marnier-lapostollei, only loose groups. Rosettes smaller, only up to 20 cm, seldom 24 cm in diameter. Blades narrow-triangular, at the base only up to 3.5 cm wide, densely silver-gray (not white grayish) lepidote on both sides and strongly nerved on the upper side. Inflorescence 30-70 cm long. Flowers smaller, only up to 1 cm long, orange-yellow, not bright orange, odorless (not reminiscent of Trimethylamin). Petals erect; anthers ex­serted only after flowering.