Werauhia species are evergreen, perennial , herbaceous plants and are mostly epiphytes or lithophytes , so they grow on trees or on rocks. Mostly they are funnel bromeliads. The funnels ("cisterns") for collecting water and nutrients are created by the fact that their shoot axes are compressed and the leaves stand together in rosettes and overlap. The parallel-veined leaves are entire and mostly sword-shaped. Some species can grow very large, with inflorescences 2 to 4 meters high and funnel diameters over 1 meter. They take many years to form their inflorescence.
The large bracts of the inflorescences have a long shelf life in many species. The inflorescences can be unbranched or branched. Usually the flowers are arranged on one side of the inflorescence. The hermaphrodite flowers are threefold with a double flower envelope . The three petals are not fused with two scales (ligules) as appendages and mostly cream-colored to yellow, often with green tips. Three fruit leaves are a half under constant ovary grown. They mostly bloom at night and pollination is mostly done by bats ( chiropterophilia ).
There are fruit capsules formed. The seeds have a “parachute” similar to that of the dandelion .
Systematics and distribution
The genus Werauhia belongs to the tribe Vrieseeae W.Till & Barfuss in the subfamily Tillandsioideae within the family of the Bromeliaceae . The systematics of the subfamily Tillandsioideae is subject to constant changes due to the problem of delimitation of the genera and phylogenetic studies, according to which the original genus Vriesea was divided into three genera ( Vriesea , Alcantarea and Werauhia ). These species were incorporated in the genus Vriesea , in 1995 Jason R. Grant presented in The resurrection of Alcantarea and Werauhia, a new genus. in trop. Subtropical. Plant World , Volume 91, p. 28 the new genus Werauhia . The genus name Werauhia honors the German botanist Werner Rauh (1913 to 2000). The type species is Werauhia gladioliflora (H. Wendl.) JRGrant. ( Basionym : Tillandsia gladioliflora H. Wendl. ).
Werauhia ampla (LBSm.) JRGrant : It thrives terrestrially and epiphytically at altitudes of 1650 to 1830 meters in Costa Rica only in Cartago.
Werauhia anitana J.F.Morales : It was first described of 2005. It thrives in cloud and cloud forests or in windy summontan forests and disturbed adjacent vegetation at altitudes of 1350 to 1500 meters in Costa Rica only in San Jose.
Werauhia apiculata (LBSm.) JRGrant (Syn .: Werauhia dodsonii (LBSm.) JRGrant ): It occurs in Costa Rica.
Werauhia attenuata (LBSm. & Pittendrigh) JRGrant : It thrives terrestrially and epiphytically at altitudes of 700 to 1600 meters in Costa Rica and Panama . It occurs in the zone of the submontane rainforests and perhaps extends into the submontane basal belt of the tropical wet forests.
Werauhia balanophora (Mez) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically or rarely terrestrially at altitudes of 1500 to 1900 meters in Costa Rica. It occurs in the zone of the submontane rainforests and perhaps extends somewhat into the deeper moist mountain forests.
Werauhia barii (JFMorales) JFMorales : It thrives epiphytically or rarely terrestrially at altitudes of 1700 to 2100 meters in Costa Rica. It was only found in the Cordillera de Talamanca in deforested sites that have been converted into willows up to the upper canopy of primary forests.
Werauhia bicolor (LBSm.) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically in the cloud forest at altitudes of around 1500 meters in Costa Rica in San Jose and Cartago.
Werauhia boliviana H.Luther : It was first described in 1999 from La Paz in Bolivia. It thrives epiphytically at altitudes of about 950 meters.
Werauhia bracteosa (Mez & Wercklé) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically in lower mountain forests and submontane rainforests at altitudes of 1500 to 1900 meters in Costa Rica.
Werauhia brunei (Mez & Wercklé) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically in forests at altitudes of around 1800 meters in Costa Rica in San Jose and Alajuela.
Werauhia burgeri (LBSm.) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically in wooded areas at altitudes of 1200 to 1300 meters in Costa Rica only in Puntarenas.
Werauhia camptoclada (Mez & Wercklé) JFMorales : In Costa Rica it only occurs in San Jose.
Werauhia capitata (Mez & Wercklé) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically mainly in submontane rainforests at altitudes of 900 to 1400 meters in Costa Rica and in Panama only in Cerro Jefe.
Werauhia comata (Mez & Wercklé) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically or terrestrially in submontane rainforests at altitudes of 700 to 1500 meters in Costa Rica.
Werauhia dalstroemii H.Luther : It was first described in 2002 from the Ecuadorian province of Pastaza. This endemic thrives epiphytically along the Rio Puyo north of Puyo at altitudes of around 1100 meters.
Werauhia diantha (H.Luther) JRGrant : This only thrives in the southern part of Cerro Golondrinas at altitudes of around 1700 meters in the Ecuadorian province of Carchi.
Werauhia dressleri (Rauh) JRGrant : It thrives at altitudes of around 800 meters in Panama.
Werauhia gibba (LBSm.) JRGrant : This endemic thrives epiphytically in forests at altitudes of 675 to 750 meters only in Jamaica .
Werauhia graminifolia (Mez & Wercklé) JRGrant : It grows epiphytically at altitudes of 1,300 to 1,500 meters in Guatemala and Costa Rica.
Werauhia greenbergii (J.Utley) JRGrant (Syn .: werauhia patzeltii (Rauh) JRGrant , werauhia rauhii J.R.Grant ): It thrives terrestrial and epiphytic in sub-mountainous rainforests at altitudes from 800 to 1500 meters in Costa Rica.
Werauhia guadelupensis (Baker) JRGrant : It thrives lithophytically on rock faces and epiphytically in rainforests at altitudes of 380 to 549 meters only in the Lesser Antilles .
Werauhia haberi (JFMorales) JFMorales : This endemic thrives epiphytically in very damp forests at altitudes of 1500 to 1700 meters in the Valle de San Gerardo in the Cordillera de Tilaran in Guanacaste in Costa Rica.
Werauhia hainesiorum (LBSm.) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically in the submontane mountain forest at altitudes of 1700 to 1900 meters only in the Cordillera de Talamanca in Cartago and San Jose in Costa Rica.
Werauhia haltonii (H.Luther) JRGrant : This endemic thrives lithophytically or terrestrially at an altitude of about 2000 meters only 30 km south of Baeza on the road to Tena in Napo in Ecuador.
Werauhia hygrometrica (André) JRGrant : It thrives terrestrially and epiphytically in submontane rainforests as well as in lower mountain rainforests at altitudes of 700 to 1500 meters from Mexico via Costa Rica to Panama and from Colombia and Venezuela to Ecuador.
Werauhia insignis (Mez) W.Till, Barfuss & R.Samuel : Since 2013 there are two varieties:
Werauhia insignis var. Brevifolia H.Luther ex JRGrant : It was first described from Panama in 2013. It only thrives in Chiriqui at an altitude of around 1130 meters.
Werauhia insignis (Mez) W.Till, Barfuss & R.Samuel var. Insignis : It thrives terrestrially and epiphytically in rainforests at altitudes of 900 to 2700 meters in Costa Rica and Panama.
Werauhia kathyae (J.Utley) JRGrant : It thrives terrestrially and epiphytically in submontane rainforests at altitudes of 1400 to 1900 meters in Costa Rica in Cartago and San Jose.
Werauhia kupperiana (Suessenguth) JRGrant : It occurs in Costa Rica and Colombia.
Werauhia latissima (Mez & Wercklé) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically in submontane rainforests at altitudes of 900 to 1500 meters in Costa Rica.
Werauhia laxa (Mez & Wercklé) JRGrant : It thrives terrestrially and epiphytically in submontane rainforests at altitudes of 900 to 1500 meters in Costa Rica and Panama.
Werauhia leucophylla (LBSm.) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically or rarely terrestrially in submontane rainforests at altitudes of 900 to 1500 meters in Costa Rica in the Cordillera Central as well as in the Cordillera de Talamanca and in northwestern Panama.
Werauhia luctuosa J.F. Morales : It was first described in 2009 from Honduras. It thrives in damp forests at altitudes of 900 to 1000 meters only in Santa Barbara.,
Werauhia luis-gomezii (J.Utley) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically in submontane rainforests at altitudes of 2000 to 2100 meters in Costa Rica.
Werauhia lyman-smithii (J.Utley) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically in submontane rainforests at altitudes of 1500 to 2100 meters in the Cordillera Central de Costa Rica and the northern slopes of the Cordillera de Talamancain in Costa Rica in Heredia and San Jose.
Werauhia macrantha (Mez & Wercklé) JRGrant : It comes from Costa Rica, but there is no information about where it was found.
Werauhia marnier-lapostollei (LBSm.) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically in forests at altitudes of around 1100 meters in Costa Rica.
Werauhia millennia J.R. Grant : It was first described from Panama in 2000. It thrives in submontane rainforests at altitudes of around 700 meters at the eastern end of the Cordillera Central only in the province of Coclé .
Werauhia moralesii H.Luther (Syn .: Werauhia clandestina J.E Morales ): It was first described in 2003 from Costa Rica. This endemic thrives terrestrially, lithophytically and epiphytically at altitudes of 800 to 1000 meters only in the Reserva Forestal de San Ramón on the "Atlantic slopes" of the Cordillera de Tilaran in Alajuela in Costa Rica.
Werauhia nephrolepis (LBSm. & Pittendrigh) JRGrant (Syn .: Werauhia montana (LBSm.) JFMorales & Cerén ): It thrives epiphytically or rarely terrestrially in submontane to montane rainforests and lower mountain forests at altitudes of 1500 to 2800 meters in Costa Rica, Panama as well as El Salvador .
Werauhia noctiflorens T.Krömer, Espejo, López-Ferrari & Acebey : It was first described in 2007: It thrives epiphytically at altitudes of around 1200 meters from the Mexican states of Vera Cruz and Chiapas to Belize .
Werauhia nocturna (Matuda) Grant : It has been reactivated and should not be a synonym of Werauhia hygrometrica (André) JRGrant . It thrives terrestrially in Mexico.
Werauhia notata (LBSm. & Pittendrigh) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically or terrestrially in submontane to lower-lying montane rainforests at altitudes of 900 to 2000 meters in Costa Rica.
Werauhia ochracea (Rauh & E. Gross) JRGrant : This endemic thrives at altitudes of around 1800 meters only in the Peruvian region of Pasco.
Werauhia orjuelae (LBSm.) JRGrant : This endemic thrives on the seashore at altitudes of around 3 meters only in the Colombian Valle.
Werauhia ororiensis (Mez) JRGrant : It thrives epiphytically or rarely terrestrially in the Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica and in the Chiriqui region in Panama.
Werauhia viridiflora (rule) JRGrant (Syn .: Werauhia nutans (LBSm.) JRGrant ): It thrives epiphytically in forests at altitudes of 600 to 1100 meters in Belize, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Ecuador.
Werauhia viridis (Mez & Wercklé) JRGrant : It occurs in Costa Rica.
Werauhia werckleana (Mez) JRGrant (Syn .: Werauhia breedloveana (LBSmith) JRGrant , Werauhia cornuscervi (Rohweder) JRGrant ): It is distributed from Mexico via Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to Costa Rica.
↑
JR Grant: Addendum to "The resurrection of Alcantarea and Werauhia, a new genus" (Bromeliaceae: Tillandsioideae). In: Phytologia , Volume 78, 1995, pp. 119-123.
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