A new species of Tillandsia (Tillandsioideae, Bromeliaceae) endemic to the highland humid enclaves of Northeastern Brazil

A new species of bromeliad, Tillandsia areiensis, subgenus Anoplophytum (Tillandsioideae, Bromeliaceae), is here described. The proposed taxon is endemic to the highland humid enclaves of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil. Morphological and karyological characteristics of this new species were compared with those of Tillandsia tenuifolia, a morphologically similar species. Differences in floral traits, particularly in the peduncle and floral bracts, as well as cytotaxonomic markers (variations in the distribution of heterochromatic bands), support the recognition of this new species.