There are no human inhabitants on Alcatrazes Island, situated 35 kilometers south of the coastal city of São Sebastião, São Paulo State. Some 1,300 plant and animal species live there, however, including thousands of seabirds that roost on the island. The Tupinambá people call the archipelago Wyrá r-etá-ma, meaning “place of birds,” which served as the inspiration for the name of a newly described bromeliad dubbed Tillandsia uiraretama. The plant, the lilac flowers of which can be seen on the granite cliffs, is not found anywhere else in the world. The most closely related species is found on the continent and has smaller, white flowers.
Image submitted by botanist Gabriel Sabino, a PhD student at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP)
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