Abstract
ABSTRACT Bromeliad Quesnelia quesneliana (Brongniart) L.B. Smith has been reported in the Atlantic Forest, Rainforest, Mesophilic Semideciduous Seasonal Forest, Mangroves and Restingas in the Brazilian southeastern states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, but information about their fruit and seed morphology, and germination is limited. The aim of this study was to characterize the external morphology of fruit and seeds, germination rate and post-seminal stages of Q. quesneliana. Fruits were collected from Restinga area in the Armação dos Búzios city, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The width and length of fruit and seeds (external morphology) were measured, the post-seminal development of the seeds was analyzed and botanical illustrations were made. The indexes t50, uniformity of germination, mean germination time and germination speed coefficient were also calculated. Germination was assessed for 20 days by counting individuals to obtain the post-seminal stages. Ripe Q. quesneliana fruits are pyriform, reddish-brown in color, with light spots, 26 mm long and 10 mm wide, with an average of 148 seeds per fruit and wrapped in a transparent mucilage. The seeds are 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, with epigeal germination, and its seedlings are cryptocotyledonary. The seeds of this species germinate quickly and have no dormancy.
Highlights
Restinga is a coastal ecosystem of the Atlantic Forest biome, with high salinity and temperature, intense sun exposure, and sandy soils with low water retention (VALDEMARIN et al, 2019)
The genus Quesnelia (Bromeliaceae) has 21 endemic species in the Atlantic Forest distributed in the coast from the Rio de Janeiro to Bahia states (MANTOVANI et al, 2012), such as Quesnelia quesneliana (Brongniart) L.B
The botanical material was collected from dispersed plants in Restinga Forest, municipality of Armação de Búzios, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil
Summary
Restinga is a coastal ecosystem of the Atlantic Forest biome, with high salinity and temperature, intense sun exposure, and sandy soils with low water retention (VALDEMARIN et al, 2019). Morphological studies of fruits, seeds, and seedlings are essential mainly for the recognition of species, studies on recovery of degraded areas, and cataloging, once they allow immediate and safe identification of many species (ABUD et al, 2010; PIMENTA et al, 2013; CASTRO et al, 2014; DUARTE et al, 2016; REIS; FEITAS; LEÃO, 2016; BOUBLENZA et al, 2019). These studies have been important tools in describing Bromeliads, such as Vriesea minarum (LAVOR et al, 2017), Vriesia sp. It is important to differentiate Q. quesneliana from Q. arvencis plants that are morphologically similar to close genealogical proximity with the same bootstrap value (91%), and differ in the density of crinkling of their floral bracts (FARIA; WENDT; BROWN, 2004; ALMEIDA et al, 2009)
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