NO. I BROMELIACEAE OF BRAZIL — SMITH 37 



broadly ovate, subacute, 2 cm. long, entire, membranaceous, white; 

 sepals 28 mm. long, connate for 7 mm., the free lobes lanceolate, acute 

 but not pungent, subsymmetric, green; petals 5 cm. long, highly con- 

 nate, the free lobes 15 mm. long, elliptic, obtuse, cucullate, yellow, the 

 tube green and white, bearing calli above the base ; stamens included ; 

 ovary globose, 6 mm. long, epigynous tube lacking, placentae central. 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 2104774, collected from cultivated 

 material received from the Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro, by L. B. Smith. 

 Duplicate in the Herbario "Barbosa Rodrigues." 



SYSTEMATIC TREATMENT 



CHARACTERS OF THE FAMILY 



Herbs or rarely shrubby perennials, largely epiphytic. Roots usually 

 present, but often serving merely as holdfasts in the epiphytic species. 

 Leaves spirally arranged, usually rosulate, dilated-sheathing at the 

 base, simple, entire or spinose-serrate, bearing peltate scales at least 

 when young, and these serving to absorb moisture. Inflorescence 

 simple or compound, of spikes or racemes, usually bearing brightly 

 colored conspicuous bracts. Flowers perfect or sometimes func- 

 tionally unisexual, that is with both stamens and pistil but only one 

 functional, rarely strictly staminate (Cryptanfhus) . Perianth hetero- 

 chlamydeous, the sepals and petals free or connate. Stamens 6 in 

 2 series ; filaments free, or joined to the petals or to each other. 

 Styles 3-parted. Ovary superior to inferior, 3-celled. Placentae axile, 

 extending the length of the cell or variously reduced. Fruit capsular 

 or baccate. Seeds naked, winged, or plumose. Embryo small, situated 

 at the base of the copious mealy endosperm, 



KEY TO SUBFAMILIES AND GENERA 



I. Seeds variously appendaged (naked in Navia, but the ovary superior and 



the fruit dehiscent) ; ovary wholly or in part superior (wholly inferior 



in Pitcairnia anomala) ; fruit a capsule (but indehiscent in a few species 



of Pitcairnia). 



2. Seeds with entire appendages, not plumose ; ovary usually wholly or in 



part superior; leaves often spinose-serrate; plants almost always 



terrestrial Subfamily i. Pitcairnioideae 



2. Seeds plumose; ovary nearly or quite superior (in the Brazilian genera) ; 

 leaves always entire ; plants chiefly epiphytic. 



Subfamily 2. Tillandsioideae 

 I. Seeds always naked; ovary wholly or in very large part (Acanthostachys) 

 inferior ; fruit always baccate, fleshy to coriaceous ; leaves usually spinose- 

 serrate; plants often epiphytic Subfamily 3. Bromelioideae 



