A review of the subgenus Pothuava (Baker) Baker of Aechmea Ruiz & Pav. (Bromeliaceae) in Brazil

Pothuava is a group of about 20 neotropical species treated here as a subgenus of Aechmea. The Brazilian taxa of Pothuava is revised and ten species are recognized: A. nudicaulis, A. pectinata, A. vanhoutteana, A. bocainensis, A. bruggeri, A. alopecurus, A. pineliana, A. triticina, A. ornata, and A. squarrosa. New synonyms are proposed here: A. roberto-anselmii as a synonym of A. ornata; A. cariocae of A. squarrosa; A. triticina var. capensis of A. pineliana; A. roberto-seidelii and A. guarapariensis of A. triticina. The species A. kleinii and A. pseudonudicaulis were removed from the subgenus Pothuava and transferred to the subgenus Ortgiesia. A key to all taxa is supplied along with nomenclatural considerations, descriptions, drawings and geographic distribution maps. (C) 1997 The Linnean Society of London.