Aechmea lingulata is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to the West Indies (Bahamas, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Lesser Antilles etc.), Costa Rica, Panama and northern South America.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesCorrell, D.S. & Correll, H.B. (1982). Flora of the Bahama Archipelago: 1-1692. J.Cramer, Vaduz.Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2005). Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 52: 1-415.Sant'Ana Melhem, T., das Graças Lapa Wanderley, M., Ehlin Martins, S., Jung-Mendaçolli, S.L., Shepherd, G.J. & Kirizawa, M. (eds.) (2007). Flora Fanerogâmica do Estado de São Paulo 5: 1-476. Instituto de Botânica, São Paulo.Versieux, L.M., Wendt, T., Batista Louzada, R. & das Graças Lapa Wanderley, M. (2008 publ. 2009). Bromeliaceae da Cadeia do Espinhaço. Megadiversidade 4: 98-110.Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.
Two varieties are recognized:
Aechmea lingulata var. lingulata - most of species range Aechmea lingulata var. patentissima (Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f.) L.B.Sm. - eastern Brazil
History Indigenous people were the first to use this plant in their traditions. Currently, the Fulni-Ô people, from brazilian northeast, still use this plant in their traditional medicine and to make tools.
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