Aphelandra huilensis Leonard

Aphelandra huilensis Leonard

Aphelandra huilensis Leonard. Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb. 31: 146. 1953.

Suffrutescent herb to 2 m high or more; stems glabrate below, strigose toward tip, the hairs about 0.5 mm long; leaf blades oblong-elliptic in outline, 15–25 cm long and 9–12 cm wide, acute to acuminate at apex and terminating in a yellowish spine 0.75–2 mm long, narrowed at base, deeply incised, the lobes triangular to oblong, to 7 cm long, each lobe terminated by a small yellowish spine (1–2 mm long), the entire margin serrate, the teeth 1–4 mm long and broad, all spine-tipped, the upper surface sparingly strigose or the costa and veins (about 20 pairs) more densely so, the lower surface more densely strigose, the hairs of the costa and veins appressed or ascending, the venation of the lower surface more prominent than that of the upper; interpetiolar bracts triangular, about 4 mm long, bearing a pair of stout spines, one about 1 cm long, the other 2–3 mm long; spikes terminal and axillary to 10 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, the rachis sparingly strigose; bracts about 2 cm long and 8 mm wide, acuminate, terminating in a spine about 1 mm long, the inner surface glabrous, the outer surface rather sparingly strigose, the margins ciliate, bearing 1–4 pairs of spine-tipped teeth, the spines 1–2 mm long; bractlets lanceolate, about 17 mm long and 3 mm wide near base, acuminate, terminated by a spine 1 mm long, striate-nerved, the inner suface glabrous, the outer rather sparingly strigose, ciliate, the margins usually entire; calyx segments red, oblong-lanceolate, 23–25 mm long, 3.5–5 mm wide, minutely strigose, the inner surface only so toward tip, the margins thin, sparingly and minutely dentate; corolla 4 cm long, red, rather densely hirsute except the glabrous basal portion, the tube 4 mm broad near base, slightly contracted above the ovary, thence enlarged to 7 mm and again contracted at mouth to 5 mm, the upper lip erect, 5 mm long and 3–5 mm wide, bilobed, the lobes 3 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, rounded, emarginate, the lower lip more or less spreading, about 4 mm long, 3-lobed, the lobes ovate, 3.5 mm long and broad, rounded, the middle lobe flat; stamens reaching the mouth of the corolla tube; anthers yellow, 5–7 mm long, 1.5 mm broad; filaments triangular in cross section, glabrous toward tip, strigose toward base; pistil glabrous.

TYPE.—K. von Sneidern 2649 (holotype S), Colombia, Huila, at La Plata, 2600 m alt. 20 Mar 1939.

DISTRIBUTION.—Endemic to Colombia, found at elevations above 2000 meters in the departments of Tolima, Huila and Cauca. COLOMBIA. TOLIMA: Río Hereje, near Albania, 2000 m alt, 20 Nov 1944, Core 1619 (US). CAUCA: Along the Río San José at Aguabonita, in the region of Moscopan, 2280 m alt, 30 Jan 1947, Cuatrecasas 23462 (US).

Aphelandra huilensis là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Ô rô. Loài này được Leonard mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1953.