Aphelandra maximiliana (Nees) Benth. ex Lindau

Aphelandra maximiliana (Nees) Bentham

Aphelandra maximiliana (Nees) Bentham in Bentham & Hooker, Genera Plantarum 2, pt. 2. 1103. 1876.—Lindau in Engler & Prantl, Natürl. Pflanzenfam. 4, Abt. 3b:322. 1895.

Lagochilium maximilianum Nees in Martius, Fl. Bras. 9:85. 1847; in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:293. 1847.

Shrubby plant; stems straight, trichotomously branched, terete and glabrous below, subquadrangular and strigillose above; leaf blades ellipticoblong, 18–25 cm long, 4 cm wide, acuminate, narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, rather firm, entire or subrepand, shining above, tomentulose beneath, the costa and lateral veins (10–15 pairs) conspicuous but not protruding on either surface, the veins transversely connected; petioles (unwinged portion) 1.5–2 cm long, canaliculate, glabrous; flowers borne in 1–5, dense, terminal spikes, these 6–10 cm long, about 2 cm broad, the bracts closely imbricate; bracts rigid, scarious, thick-nerved, obovate, 8–13 mm long, 6–8 mm wide below the tip, cuspidate, cuneate at base, setaceousserrate with 6–8 teeth on each side, dorsally pubescent; bractlets lanceolate, 5–7 mm long, 2 mm wide, long-acuminate, striate-nerved, carinate, dorsally pubescent; calyx 6–7 mm long, the posterior segment lance-subulate, 2 mm wide, acuminate, the anterior pair lanceolate, 1.5 mm wide, slenderly acuminate, the lateral pair carinate, 1 mm wide, long-acuminate, all segments striate-nerved, dorsally sparingly pilosulous; corolla tubular, 2.5 cm long, red, glandular-pilose without, the tube cylindric, 3 mm broad at base, the upper narrowly ampliate, about 4 mm broad at mouth, the limb slightly oblique, the corolla lips short, ovate, the upper slightly shorter than the lower, the upper lip erect, 2 mm long and 2 mm wide, entire, obtusely and retrorsely rounded, the lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes erect, the middle lobe broadest, 2 mm long, 3 mm wide, obtuse at apex, the two lateral lobes 2 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, obtuse; stamens included, not reaching the mouth of the corolla tube; anthers 4 mm long, hirsute, apiculate, filaments 12 mm long, glabrous to sparingly hirsute; capsule not seen.

TYPE.—Maximilian Prinz zu Wied-Neuwied s.n. (syntype BR), Brazil, Espirito Santo: Arassatibae near Barra de Jacu, 1816. Sellow s.n. (K), 233 (syntype B, destroyed, F photo 8710), Brazil, without locality.

DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from the typelocality.

In the original description Nees states that Aphelandra maximiliana is related to A. obtusa but distinct from it.