Aphelandra nemoralis Mart. ex Nees

Aphelandra nemoralis Nees

Aphelandra nemoralis Nees in Martius. Fl. Bras. 9:90. pl. 11. 1847; in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:299. 1847.

Aphelandra edmundoana Rizzini, Arquiv. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 8:326. 1948.

Aphelandra edmundoana Rizzini var. monocephala Rizzini, Arquiv. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 8:327. 1948.

Aphelandra crenatifolia Rizzini, Arquiv. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 8:327. 1948.

Erect, suffrutescent shrub; stem terete, 0.5–1 m high, glabrous, the bark white, tuberculate; leaf blades oblong, 15–20 cm long, the lower about 6 cm wide, the upper 4–5 cm wide, acuminate, the tip rounded, narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, rather firm, glabrous and deep green above, the margins somewhat crenate and undulate, rarely entire, the lower surface drying a lighter green, glabrous, the costa and lateral veins (7–9 pairs) conspicuous beneath, arcuate, glabrous; petioles (unwinged portion) 1.5–2 cm long, canaliculate, glabrous, drying brownish; flowers borne on 1–5 subterminal (rarely axillary), peduncled spikes, these 5–9 cm long, 2 cm wide (without flowers), the peduncle 2–5.5 cm long, canaliculate, glabrous, the bracts imbricate, not sufficiently spreading with age; bracts yellow, elliptic to ovate, 15–23 mm long, 8–12 mm wide just below the middle, acute, slightly narrowed and cuneate at base, membranaceous, distinctly 5-nerved, glabrous and glandular puncticulate without, the margins with 2–3 denticulate teeth on each side, these 0.5 mm long; bractlets lance-subulate, 6–8 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, subulate-acuminate, striate-nerved, subhyaline, sparingly glandular puncticulate without; calyx 9–13 mm long, the segments slenderly lanceolate, subequal, striate-nerved, subhyaline, setaceousacuminate, glabrous and sparingly glandular puncticulate, the posterior segment 2 mm wide near the middle, somewhat shorter than the other segments, the anterior pair 1.5 mm wide, the lateral pair 1 mm wide; corolla yellow, 3.5–5 cm long, well exserted beyond the subtending bracts, glabrous to sparingly glandular-pilosulous, the limbs puberulous, the tube slightly curved 3–3.5 cm long, 4 mm wide at base, narrowed to 2 mm wide at 7 mm above base, thence gradually enlarged to 8 mm wide at mouth, the upper lip erect, oblong, 6–8 mm long and 4–6 mm wide, bifid, the lobes 3 mm long and 2–3 mm wide, mucronulate, the lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes subequal, the middle lobe ovate, 6–7 mm long, 6 mm wide, acute, the lateral lobes oblong, 6–7 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, acute, spreading; stamens almost equaling the lobes of the upper lip; filaments flattened, puberulous near top; anthers 5–6 mm long, muticous at both apex and base, dorsally puberulous; style included, filiform, apically moderately puberulous; stigma dot-like; capsule glabrous, provided with aborted style, 7 mm long.

TYPE.—Martius s.n. (holotype M), Brazil, Guanabara, in the wooded mountains of Corcovado, Aug.

DISTRIBUTION.—Found in woods in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara. BRAZIL. RÍO DE JANEIRO: Serra dos Orgãos-Barreira, 28 May 1946, Pereira 516 (RB, holotype of A. edmondoana Rizzini, isotype K); Serra dos Orgãos-Barreira, 4 Apr 1956, Pereira 1956 (RB, US); Barreira de Terezopolis, Jul 1961, Duarte 5733 (RB); Therézopolis, Apr 1918, Frasão 8619 (RB); Xerem, Duarte s.n. (RB); Serra do Tinguá, 13 May 1943, Guerra & Octavio s.n. (RB, no 48086, holotype of A. crenatifolia Rizzini); Tinguá, 29 Jun 1948, Occhioni 1112 (RB); Santa María Madalena, Tamboril, 22 Mar 1955, Pereira 1281 (RB, US); near base of “Dedo de Deus” mountain, 13 Jul 1948, Rizzini 313 (RB, holotype of A. edmundoana var. monocephala Rizzini).

Aphelandra nemoralis là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Ô rô. Loài này được Nees mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1847.