Aphelandra xanthantha Leonard

Aphelandra xanthantha Leonard

Aphelandra xanthantha Leonard, Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb. 31:248. 1953.

Shrubs; stems subquadrangular, densely brownish strigose; leaves reflexed, the blades oblong to oblong-ovate, to 18 cm long and 7 cm wide, slenderly acuminate, narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, the upper surface sparingly strigillose, the lower surface usually densely strigose, the costa and lateral veins (9 or 10 pairs) fairly prominent; petioles (unwinged portion) to 3 cm long, densely strigillose; spikes terminal, solitary, subsessle, to 17 cm long and 1.5 cm broad (without corollas), the rachis white-tomentose; bracts red (living), entire, ovate-lanceolate, 18 mm long and 8 mm wide at about 5 mm above base, acute, coriaceous, glabrous, minutely scurfy without, sparingly ciliolate, the costa fairly prominent, the lateral nerves obscure, the margins thin, ocelli numerous alveolar spots, these narrowly elliptic, about 2 mm long and 0.5 mm wide; bractlets narrowly lanceolate, 15 mm long, 2.5 mm wide near base, slenderly acuminate, carinate, the keel densely white-pilose, the margins thin, glabrous and finely striatenerved; calyx 18 mm long, the segments thin, coriaceous, striate-nerved, puberulous, the posterior segment oblong, 4 mm wide, acute at apex, the anterior segments lanceolate, 2.5 mm wide, acute and apiculate at tip, the lateral segments narrowly lanceolate, 2 mm wide, acute at apex; corolla yellow, about 5.5 cm long, papillose without, glabrous within except above insertion of filaments, here pilose, the tube rather slender, subcylindric, about 3 mm broad, the mouth about 5 mm broad, the lips about 14 mm long (immature), the upper one ovate, about 5 mm wide, acuminate, bilobed at apex, the lobes minute, triangular, about 1 mm long and 0.25 mm wide, acute, the middle lobe of the lower lip ovate, 5 mm wide, subacute, puberulous within, the lateral lobes attached to the lower part of the upper lip, their free portions about 1 mm long and broad, obtuse; stamens barely exserted; anthers 7 mm long, about 1 mm broad, obtuse at both ends, the lower lobes minutely apiculate, the tips cohering; filaments glabrous except at base, here pilose; ovary glabrous.

TYPE.—L. Uribe-Uribe 1862 (holotype US), Colombia, Antioquia, in woods of Paramitos, Nariño, 2000–2200 m alt, Jan 1949.

DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from around the type-locality. COLOMBIA. ANTIOQUIA: Municipality of Nariño, at San Juan, 2100 m alt, 17 Jul 1954, Uribe-Uribe 2612 (COL, US).