Aphelandra schieferae Leonard

Aphelandra schieferae Leonard

Aphelandra schieferae Leonard, Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb. 31: 213. 1953.

Shrubs about 1.5 m high; stems subquadrangular, thick (up to 8 mm in diameter at base of inflorescence), the upper portions densely gray-pubescent to subtomentose; leaf blades oblanceolate, to 36 cm long and 10 cm wide (slightly above the middle), acute at apex, gradually narrowed from above middle to base and decurrent on the petiole, the margins crenate, the upper surface drying dark olive-green, the costa and lateral nerves (about 21 pairs) densely hirtellous, the surface between the veins sparingly hirtellous, the lower surface drying a light grayish olive green, pilose, the costa and veins somewhat strigose; petioles 2–3 cm long, subtomentose; spikes terminal and axillary, forming a rather loose, leafy panicle to 27 cm long and 17–20 cm broad, the branches of the panicle ascending, 1–13 cm long, light gray-tomentose, the spikes to 9 cm long and 5–8 mm broad, the rachis silvery tomentose, except the glabrous region adjacent to the posterior calyx segment; bracts imbricate, bright scarlet, drying brown, triangular-ovate, subcarinate, 8 mm long, 4.5 mm wide at 2 mm above base, thence gradually narrowed to a slender tip, entire, coriaceous, coarsely striate, puberulous, the margins ciliolate, ocelli occurring usually in pairs, elliptic, 1 mm long and 1.75 mm wide, brown, nitid, indistinctly alveolate; bractlets lanceolate, carinate, 7 mm long, 2 mm wide at 2.5 mm above base, thence gradually narrowed to a slender tip, the keel densely silvery pilose, the region adjacent to the keel puberulous, the marginal area subhyaline and glabrous, the margins sparingly ciliolate; calyx 7 mm long, the segments lanceolate, finely striate-nerved, puberulous, comose, the posterior segment 2.25 mm wide near base, the anterior pair 1.75 mm wide, the lateral pair 1 mm wide, all narrowed from near base to a sharp, slender tip; corolla bright scarlet, 5 cm long from base to tip of upper lip, puberulous, the hairs conical, the tube 4 mm broad near base, narrowed to 1.5 mm at 7 mm above base, thence enlarged to 7 mm near mouth, the upper lip narrowly ovate, 21 mm long and 6 mm wide at middle, tipped by 2 triangular acuminate lobes about 3 mm long and 1.5 mm wide at base, the middle lobe of the lower lip lanceolate, 22 mm long, 5 mm wide, slenderly acuminate, the lateral lobes adnate to the lower part of the upper lip, their free portions small, about 1 mm long; stamens slightly exserted beyond the mouth of the corolla tube; anthers 6 mm long and 1 mm broad, pilose dorsally; ovary glabrous; capsule not seen.

TYPE.—H. Schiefer 791 (holotype GH, isotype US), Colombia, Meta, hill back of Tres Esquinas Mill, Villavicencio, 12 Jul 1945.

DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from around the type-locality. COLOMBIA. META: Servitá, vicinity of Villavicencio, 300–900 m alt, Dec 1855, Triana s.n. (COL, P); Villavicencio, 480 m alt, 7 Feb 1948, Sandeman 5802 (K).

Aphelandra schieferae là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Ô rô. Loài này được Leonard mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1953.