Portea
Branched, loosely constructed, arching inflorescence of Portea leptantha.
The Portea are a genus of the subfamily Bromelioideae in the family Bromeliaceae ( Bromeliaceae ).
Description
The Portea species grow as an evergreen, perennial herbaceous plants and are hopper or tank bromeliads. Specimens of the same species grow as epiphytes or terrestrial. There are small to large species with up to 1 m funnel diameters and about 1.7 m long inflorescences. The rough leaves are always on the verge armored ( like all members of the Bromelioideae ), with a spiked tip, Saugschuppen are mainly seen on the underside of leaves. In the leaf hoppers often collect large amounts of water. In many craters there are small habitats with more species of algae and aquatic plants.
In upright or overhanging, usually sizable, long-lasting, richly branched, paniculate inflorescences ( inflorescences ) are arranged in many flowers cylindrical tight to loose. At the inflorescences sitting in some species bright colored bracts ( bracts ); they are bluish - red, there is also whitish.
The flowers are mostly long- stalked ( 1-4 cm). The radial symmetry, the threefold flowers are blue or blue-violet, yellowish or whitish. In the blue- flowered species of birds are the pollinators. The flowers are laterally compressed. The three sepals are fused into a short tube. The three petals are above the ovary free. The petals have at their base scales ( ligule ). There are two circle each provided with three stamens. The inner stamens are fused with the petals. The ovary is inferior.
The flowers formula is:
The low juice berries are often highly colored when ripe; here is dominated by red to blue. The fruits are of animals (especially birds, rare of Fledertieren and monkeys ) eaten. The seeds are excreted undigested and pass with the feces on branches.
Dissemination
The home of the genus Portea is limited to Brazil.
Because of their size rarely will you find Portea types in private collections in areas where they can not be maintained in the open by the occurrence of frosts. But in some tropical parks and gardens and also in almost all botanical gardens you will find this relatively undemanding but decorative plants, most commonly Portea petropolitana.
System
The derivation of the genus name Portea is not secured.
There are nine Portea species ( Luther, 2008):
- Portea alatisepala Philcox
- Portea filifera L.B.Smith
- Portea fosteriana L.B.Smith
- Portea grandiflora Philcox
- Portea kermesina K.Koch
- Portea leptantha Harms
- Portea nana Leme & H.Luther
- Portea petropolitana ( Wawra ) Mez: Portea petropolitana ( Wawra ) Mez var petropolitana
- Portea petropolitana var noettigii ( Wawra ) LBSmith