Aphelandra verticillata Nees

Aphelandra verticillata Nees ex Hemsley

Aphelandra verticillata Nees ex Hemsley, Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 2:513. 1882 [nom. nov.].—Nees in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:281. 1847 [as synonym].

Crossandra haenkeana Nees in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:281. 1847 [non Aphelandra haenkeana Nees].

Shrub or suffrutescent herb to 1.2 m high; stems basally quadrangular, later becoming somewhat terete, elongated, glabrous to white-villous; leaf blades quaternate, ovate, the upper narrowly ovateoblong, 7–9.5 cm long, 2–5 cm wide, acuminate, narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, entire, the upper surface drying dark green, moderately puberulous interspersed with a few pilose hairs, the costa and lateral veins (usually 7–11 pairs) plane or slightly elevated, more prominent on the lower surface, this drying light green or olive, moderately puberulous, the hairs evenly distributed or confined chiefly to the costa and lateral veins; petioles (unwinged portion) about 2 mm long, puberulous; spikes terminal, solitary, 4–9 cm long, 2 cm wide (excluding corollas), the rachis angled, puberulous; bracts lance-ovate to oblong, 15–17 mm long and 5–6 mm wide, striate-nerved, acuminate or cuspidate, the cusp about 0.5 mm long, sparingly pubescent both within and without, the margins entire, pilose; bractlets linearlanceolate, 17–18 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, aristate, striate-nerved, glabrous within, minutely puberulous without, the margins pilose; calyx segments similar to the bracts, subequal, linearlanceolate, 17–18 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, aristate, mucronate, the mucro about 0.5 mm long, striatenerved, the pubescence similar to that of the bractlets; corolla yellow, glabrous to sparingly puberulous, 3.5–4 cm long, the tube 2 cm long, 3.5 mm wide at base, thence gradually enlarged to 6 mm at mouth, the upper lip erect, 12 mm long, 4.5 mm wide, deeply bifid, the lobes elliptic, 4.5 mm long, 2 mm wide, acute, the lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes all obtuse or rounded, the middle lobe obovate, 12 mm long, 5 mm wide, the lateral lobes elliptic, 11 mm long, 3.5 mm wide; stamens exserted about 1 cm beyond mouth of the corolla tube, almost reaching the upper lip; the filaments 25 mm long, glabrous or sparingly puberulent; the anthers 2.5 mm long, recurved at apex, united apically by long weak hairs; mature capsule not seen.

TYPE.—Haenke s.n. (holotype PR), Mexico.

DISTRIBUTION.—Endemic to Mexico. MEXICO. MEXICO: Temascaltepec, Ypericones, 1500 m alt, 19 Dec 1832, Hinton 2971 (K, US). MICHOACAN: Zitácuaro, Zitácuaro-Enandio, 1850 m alt, 26 Nov 1938, Hinton 13486 (K, US, W). GUERRERO: 36–38 km from Iguala on road to Teloloapan, near Los Sabinos, 5 Nov 1949, Moore 5503 (US); Sierra Madre del Sur, N of Río Balsas, Temisco, rockycañon of Río Achotla, 250–550 m alt, 26 Nov 1937, Mexia 8904 pro parte (US).

Aphelandra verticillata là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Ô rô. Loài này được Nees ex Hemsl. mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1882.