Glomeropitcarnia is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of the

botanical Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Bromeliaceae The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain o ...

, subfamily

Tillandsioideae Tillandsioideae is a subfamily of plants in the bromeliad family Bromeliaceae. This subfamily contains the greatest number of species (about 1,400). Most are epiphytic or lithophytic, growing in trees or on rocks where they absorb water and nutr ...

. The genus name is from the Latin “glomero” (to form into a ball) and the genus ''Pitcairnia''. It has two known species, native to

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

and the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
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Taxonomy

This plant group had been classified as a genera within the

Pitcairnioideae Pitcairnioideae is a subfamily of the bromeliad family, Bromeliaceae. Traditionally, it was a large subfamily, comprising all those species with winged or more rarely naked seeds. Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that traditional Pitcairnioi ...

subfamily, but modern cladistic and DNA analysis has revealed them as a member of Tillandsioideae, most closely related to the ''

Guzmania ''Guzmania'' (tufted airplant) is a genus of over 120 species of flowering plants in the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Tillandsioideae. They are mainly stemless, evergreen, epiphytic perennials native to Florida, the West Indies, south ...

'' and '' Mezobromelia'' genera. The only two species of this plant described to date are ''G. penduliflora'' and ''G. erectiflora'', both common to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. Among tank bromeliads they are noted as being able to store the most water, up to five gallons, providing a water source for other biota (with special reference to the environmentally sensitive El Tucuche Golden Tree Frog - '' Phytotriades auratus'' ).A. J. Gilmartin, G. K. Brown, G. S. Varadarajan, M. Neighbours (Jul. - Sep., 1989), Status of ''Glomeropitcairnia'' within Evolutionary History of Bromeliaceae, Systematic Botany, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 339–348

Species

References

External links

FCBS Glomeropitcairnia
photos
BSI Genera Gallery
photos
Encyclopædia Britannica Article
{{Taxonbar, from=Q138455 Tillandsioideae Flora of Venezuela Flora of the Caribbean Bromeliaceae genera