Queen Mary's Aechmea

Aechmea mariae-reginae H. Wendl. Hamb Gartenz. 19: 32. 1863.
Plant 4-9 dm. high; leaves 15-30 in a dense spreading rosette, the outer ones 8-9 dm. long, the inner progressively shorter; sheaths elliptic, up to 16 cm. wide, coriaceous, densely and finely brownappressed-lepidote; blades ligulate, subrounded or abruptly acute, apiculate, pungent, 8-10 cm. wide, densely and finely appressed-cinereous-lepidote especially beneath, densely serrate with antrorsely curved spines up to 3 mm. long; scape erect, stout, whitefarinose; scape-bracts reflexed, crowded just beneath the inflorescence, elliptic, acute, 1-2 dm. long, densely spinose-serrate, subchartaceous when dry, bright-rose, finely appressed-cinereouslepidote especially beneath; inflorescence simple, densely spicate with many-ranked flowers, cylindric, 1-2 dm. long, up to 53 mm. in diameter; floral bracts very narrowly triangular, from 4 ram. long to almost lacking, membranaceous; flowers sessile, spreading; sepals elliptic with a very large irregular lateral wing overtopping the apex, mucronate, 11 nun. long, farinose; petals erect, oblong, emarginate, 15-20 mm, long, white toward the base, blue toward the apex, bearing 2 large, oblong, sparsely fimbriate scales at the base; stamens equaling the petals, the second series highly connate with the petals; ovary obconic, 5 mm. long, deeply sulcate, the epigynous tube wanting; ovules borne at the top of the cell, caudate.
Type locality: Sarapiqui Valley, near San Miguel, Costa Rica.
Distribution: Costa Rica.

Aechmea lalindei Linden & Rodigas; Rodigas, 111. Hortic. 30:45. 1883.
Aechmea gigas E. Morren; C. H. Wright, Bot. Mag. pi. 8107. 1906. Aechmea Mariae-reginae "Wendl." Mbbius, Gartenflora 49: 337. 1900.
Plant 15 dm. high; leaves about 30 in a great rosette, 15-18 dm. long, rigid; blades arching, ligulate, acute, armed with minute green teeth; scape stout, erect; scape-bracts densely imbricate, the lowest foliaceous, the upper large, elliptic, acute, serrulate, bright-red, reflexed and massed at the base of the inflorescence; inflorescence simple, ellipsoid or subcapitate, densely many -flowered, 12 cm. long, 6 cm. in diameter; flowers sessile; sepals elliptic, strongly asymmetric, mucronate, pilose-lepidote, greenish-white with a roseate spot at the apex; petals 15 mm. long, obtuse, white or greenish, often with a violet or red spot at the apex ; second series of stamens much connate with the petals.
Type locu-ity: Colombia.
DiSTKIBUTiON : Costa Rica (according to Mez); also in Colombia.

Aechmea mariae-reginae is a species in the genus Aechmea. endemic to Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras). This is one of the few Bromelioideae species that is dioecious, and is the only species in its genus with this trait.