''Portea petropolitana'' is a plant

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of the genus ''

Portea ''Portea'' is a genus in the plant family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. It is native to the Atlantic coast of Brazil. It is named for Dr. Marius Porte, a nineteenth-century French naturalist who died in 1866 in Manilla while on a colle ...

'', in the

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 ...

Distribution

The

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the Atlantic Forest biome (''Mata Atlantica Brasileira''), located in southeastern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It is found within the states of

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

, and

Rio de Janeiro (state) Rio de Janeiro () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil. It has the second largest economy of Brazil, with the largest being that of the state of São Paulo. The state, which has 8.2% of the Brazilian population, is responsible for 9.2% of ...

Description

There are two varieties of ''Portea petropolitana'' that are cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s: *''Portea petropolitana'' var. ''petropolitana'' — native to

Espirito Santo ''Espirito'' (Brazilian for "Spirit") is the second album by Lawson Rollins. Rollins composed all of the music and co-produced the album with Persian-American musician and producer Shahin Shahida (of Shahin & Sepehr) and multi-platinum producer Do ...

near the ocean. It may reach a height of 3 to 4 feet prior to flowering. The dark green leaves are heavily spined and form a stiff rosette. The inflorescence reaches 12 to 18 inches long, bearing colorful flowers with white lavender petals and orange sepals.

*''Portea petropolitana'' var. ''extensa'' native to

. Introduced by American plant collector and breeder M. B. Foster. It is smaller in all parts compared to the other variety. It is characterized by light yellow green leaves and a coral red inflorescence with an upright rosette. The flower contains lavender petals, apple green overies, and berries that turn dark purple.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7231551 Petropolitana Endemic flora of Brazil Flora of the Atlantic Forest Flora of Bahia Flora of Espírito Santo Flora of Minas Gerais Flora of Rio de Janeiro (state) Garden plants of South America Plants described in 1880