Aechmea aiuruocensis Leme

Distribution and habitat: — Aechmea aiuruocensis is a conspicuous species in the Bromeliaceae community of the Atlantic forest that partially covers Serra do Papagaio, a mountain range situated in the State Park of the same name in Minas Gerais State. It is apparently endemic, living usually inside the forest, between 1,700 and 2,000 m, and thriving as a terrestrial or rupicolous, but sometimes it also assumes an epiphytic habit. At higher elevations, it was observed growing at the edge of the cloud forest in more exposed conditions and forming large dense groups of plants. The discovery of this new species is the result of a Bromeliaceae survey currently conducted in the State Park of Serra do Papagaio, with the support of the Instituto Estadual de Florestas (IEF) of Minas Gerais.