Aphelandra obtusa (Nees) D. C. Wassh.

Aphelandra obtusa (Nees) Wasshausen

Lagochilium obtusum Nees in Martius, Fl. Bras. 9:86. 1947; in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:292. 1847.

Simple, erect herb 30 cm high; stem about 15 cm long, densely setulose, especially toward the tip, gray; leaf blades oval-oblong, 9.5–11.5 cm long, 3.5–4.5 cm wide, obtuse, narrowed at base, thin, repand, the upper surface glabrous, shining, the costa and lateral veins (9–10 pairs) conspicuous, arcuate, the lower surface drying a paler green than the upper, glabrous except the costa and lateral veins, these strigose; petioles 0.5–1.5 cm long, the pubescence similar to that of the stem; flowers borne on a solitary, sessile, terminal spike, 7–9 cm long, 2 cm wide (without corollas), the bracts closely imbricate, spreading with age, the spike subtended by a pair of large leaves; bracts elliptic, 18–19 mm long, 8–9 mm wide just above the middle, purplish, brown to dark brown when dry, striate-nerved, acuminate, cuneate at base, glabrous both within and without, the margins spinulose-serrate from about the middle to the apex with about 21–25 pairs of spreading teeth; bractlets lanceolate, 3 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, acuminate, subhyaline, striate-nerved, glabrous, the margins ciliolate; calyx 6 mm long, the segments subulate, subequal, striate-nerved, glabrous, aristateacuminate, the margins inconspicuously glandularpilose, the posterior segment 1.5 mm wide near base, the anterior pair 1 mm wide, the lateral pair 0.75 mm wide; corolla yellow, about 2.5 cm long, glabrous, the tube narrow, short, the upper lip 5 mm long, bifid, the lobes equal, the lower lip 3-parted, the lobes subequal, the middle lobe longer and broader than the lateral lobes, these equal, 5 mm long; anthers slightly apiculate, glabrous; filaments epipetalous, connate to middle of the tube; capsule oblong, 10 mm long, brown, apiculate, nitid, glabrous; seeds not seen.

TYPE.—Pohl 6031 (holotype W), Brazil, Goiás, “Porto d’Acunha.”

DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from the typelocality.

Aphelandra obtusa is related to A. obtusifolia but distinguishable by its narrower, elliptic, striatenerved bracts and relatively narrower leaves. The bracts of A. obtusifolia are 14 mm wide, reticulateveined and ciliate, those of this species only 8–9 mm wide at the most, striate-nerved and glabrous.

Aphelandra obtusa là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Ô rô. Loài này được (Nees) Wassh. mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1975.