NO. I BROMELIACEAE OF BRAZIL — SMITH 99 



6. Branches 6-8 flowered with 1-5 sterile bracts at the base; floral 

 bracts sparsely lepidote throughout, 35 mm. long. 



6. V. pinottii 



I, Flowers (or at least the lower ones) divergent or spreading and not touching 



one another at anthesis. (Figs. 31-34-) 



7. Leaf -blades very narrowly triangular or linear, acuminate, 15 mm. wide. 



8. Primary bracts much shorter than the spreading branches of the broad 



lax inflorescence; floral bracts 18-25 mm. long, about equaling the 



sepals 7- V. lubbersii 



8. Primary bracts much exceeding the short strict branches of the slenderly 



cylindric inflorescence; floral bracts 8-10 mm. long, one-half or one- 

 third as long as the sepals 8. V. drepanocarpa 



7, Leaf-blades ligulate, broadly acute or rounded, or if acuminate then much 

 more than 15 mm. wide. 



9. Floral bracts 7-17 mm. long, suborbicular or even broader than long, 



about half as long as the sepals. 

 ID. Inflorescence tripinnate with its lower branches divided and recurv- 

 ing ; floral bracts 7 mm. long 9. V. leptantha 



ID. Inflorescence bipinnate with all its branches simple; floral bracts 

 10-17 mm. long. 

 II, Scape decurved; inflorescence pendulous... 10. V. billbergioides 

 II. Scape straight; inflorescence erect. 



12. Inflorescence lax, broad 11. V. rodigasiana 



12. Inflorescence dense, slenderly cylindric 12. V. thyrsoidea 



9. Floral bracts 20-40 mm. long, usually longer than wide. 



13. Branches of the inflorescence slender, about 2 mm. in diameter. 

 14. Floral bracts strongly incurved and carinate. 

 15. Sepals exceeding the coriaceous floral bracts, 20-30 mm. long; 

 inflorescence dense, narrow ; lower primary bracts nearly equal- 

 ing the branches, subfoliaceous. (Fig. 32.) .. 13. V. sceptrum 

 15. Sepals shorter than the floral bracts; inflorescence lax, broad; 

 primary bracts all much shorter than the branches. 

 16. Sterile bases of the branches short, naked or with a single 



bract 5. V. schwackeana 



16. Sterile bases of the branches elongate with several bracts. 



14. V. brusquensis 



14. Floral bracts nearly or quite straight toward the apex, often 



ecarinate. 



17. Leaves acuminate. 



18. Scape-bracts apiculate, the upper ones much reduced ; stamens 



equaling or exceeding the petals 15. V. neoglutinosa 



18. Scape-bracts acuminate, all large and subfoliaceous; stamens 



included 16. V. altodaserrae 



17. Leaves more or less rounded and apiculate. 



19. Sepals acute; leaf-sheaths purple. 



20. Sterile bases of the branches bracteate 17. V. muelleri 



20. Sterile bases of the branches naked 18. V. haematina 



19. Sepals obtuse ; leaf-sheaths pale green throughout or castaneous 



toward the base, sometimes red-spotted. 



21. Leaf-blades densely cinereous-lepidote. . . 19. V. saundersii 



