Lobelia aguana E. Wimm.

Lobelia aguana V. IJ. Wimincr, Repert. vSp. Nov. 38: 86. 1935
I.nbelia laxiflora var. infignis Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 16: 12. 1891. (J. U. Smith 2173, US!)
Plant with aspect of L. laxiflora but larger in every respect; stem 1-2 m. high, I cm, or more in diameter at ba.sc, glabrous above, green or purplish, the bark peeling off in thin papery layers in age; cauline leaves numerous, often dcii-sely covering the stem, the lower often early deciduous; leaves pubtscent on the lower surface or on both or culirtly glabrous, membranous, or pajjcry, finely serrate with hr>okcd teeth or subcntire with tiny cuUose tcelh, these about 8 per cm., the blades up to 4 cm. wide by 20 cm. long, usually 5-7 limes as long as wide, lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, the tip attenuate or almost caudate, the base cuneate or somewhat rounded; petiole none, the leaf margins slightly decurrent on the stem; flowers few-35, solitary in the axils of the upper leaves, which are usually as large as the lower ones; "inflorescence" as much as 30-40 cm. long; pedicels stiffly upright or declining in age, about 1 mm. in diameter, 100-210 mm. long in fruit, the upper end sometimes flexuous; pedicels smooth and glabrous, with a pair of tiny bracteoles about the middle or below; flower 44—56 mm. long, including hypanthium; corolla yellow varied with red (according to Smith, who writes also: "divisions of the upper lip red on both sides; lower lip . . . yellow margined with red"), bright red and yellow, or yellowish-red (according to Standley), glabrous, or sparsely pubescent without, the tube 21-25 mm. long, fenestrate laterally and cleft dorsally nearly to base, the two upper lobes linear-subulate, about 3 mm. wide at base by 21-25 mm. long, slightly decurved at tips, the lower lip about the same length, the 3 lobes connate to within 5-6 (12) mm. from the tips; filament-tube 28-38 mm. long; anther-tube 7.5-11 mm. long, the two smaller anthers with a yellowish-white tuft of hairs at tip, the three larger ones slightly tufted near the end; hypanthium in anthesis cup-shaped, glabrous, becoming broadly hemispheric in fruit, up to 10-13 mm. across; capsule about two-thirds inferior, 10-15 mm. long, usually trimcate at base; calyx-lobes linear to narrowly triangular, somewhat broadened at base, glabrous, entire (6) 8-14 ram. long, acute; seeds indistinguishable from those of L. laxiflora.
Type locality: Volc4n de Agua, Sacatep^quez, Guatemala, Kellermann 7502 (Field!). DisTRrBUTiON: High mountains of southwestern Guatemala and adjacent Chiapas, at elevations of 2700 m. and above.