Aphelandra formosa (Humb. & Bonpl.) Nees

Aphelandra formosa (Humboldt & Bonpland) Nees

Aphelandra formosa (Humboldt & Bonpland) Nees in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:301. 1847.

Ruellia formosa Humboldt & Bonpland, Pl. Aequin. 1:167. pl. 48. 1813 [non Andrews, 1810].

Hygrophila formosa [Humboldt & Bonpland] Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 2:828. 1825.

Aphelandra formosa (Humboldt & Bonpland) Nees var. polystachya Nees in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:302. 1847.

Aphelandra carduifolia Hooker, Ic. Pl. 8. pl. 718. 1848.

Shrub or small tree to 3 m high, much branched; the tips of the leaf bearing twigs densely brown velvety pilose, the hairs about 1.5 mm long, and bearing under petioles a pair of small bracts, armed with one to several straight slender spreading spines (those of the flowering twigs to 4 mm long); leaf blades opposite or occasionally alternate, oblong, to 12 cm long and 3.5 cm wide, acute, cuneate or obtusish at base, coriaceous, spinose-dentate, the teeth in pairs, the spines to 2 mm long, the upper surface shining, bright green, sparingly to rather densely pilose, the hairs densest on the costa and veins, the lower surface paler, and more densely pilose with brownish hairs; petioles to 5 mm long, densely covered with brown-velvety hairs, as are the young stems; the lower flowers axillary (in the axils of the upper leaves) the upper forming a terminal spike; bracts similar to the leaf blades but much smaller, the uppermost triangular-ovate, 510 mm long, about 4 mm wide, spine-tipped and bearing one to several spines on the margins; bractlets lanceolate, 8–10 mm long, 2–4 mm above the base, acuminate, tipped by a small spine, entire or bearing a small spine on each margin, striatenerved, pilosulous and ciliate; calyx segments subequal, lanceolate, 8–10 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, acuminate, spine-tipped, glabrous below, pilosulous and ciliate above; corolla about 3 cm long, bright red, finely pubescent, the tube cylindric, slightly curved, 2 mm in diameter at base, enlarging at about 5 mm above base, first abruptly, then gradually to 8 mm in diameter at mouth, the upper lip erect, 6–7 mm long, 3 mm wide, emarginate, the lobes about 2.5 mm long, rounded, the lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes orbicular, about 5 mm in diameter, erect or slightly spreading; stamens about as long as the corolla, the interior pair slightly shorter than the outer pair; anthers 5.5 mm long; style equalling the stamens in length; capsule ovate, flattened, acute.

TYPE.—Bonpland s.n. (syntype P, F photo 39427), Peru, Piura, in cool mountains, Páramo do Guamani.

DISTRIBUTION.—At elevations above 2000 meters in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. ECUADOR. IMBABURA: Mojanda, on road Otavalo Minas, at the cross road to Cerro Blanco, 3200 m alt, 3 Jun 1967, Sparre 16843 (S). BOLÍVAR: Around Chapacoto, near Guaranda, 2600–2800 m alt, Lehmann 7848 (K); San José western slope of Chimborazo, 2700 m alt, Jul 1876, André 3198 (K); Guaranda, 2600 m alt, 13 Aug 1939, Asplund 8222 (S, US); near Guaranda, valley of Río Chimbo, 2800 m alt, Dec, Rimbach 630 (NA, S). AZUAY: Sevilla de Oro, river slope, 2500 m alt, 26 Jun 1947, Harling 1180 (S); around Huarainac on the Río Paute, east Andes of Cuenca, 2300–2800 m alt, Lehmann 6546 (K, US). WITHOUT EXACT LOCALITY: Andes of Quito, 1846–69, Jameson 166 (K, holotype, W, US, isotypes of A. carduifolia Hooker). PERU. CAJAMARCA: Cutervo: 4 km E of Huambos on Cutervo trail, 2800 m alt, 17 Dec 1938, Stork & Horton 10196 (F, UC); San Pablo: ca 1 km above NE town, 2630 m alt, 13 May 1964, Hutchison & Wright 5039 (UC, US); Contumazá: El Puquio, 2900 m alt, 21 Jun 1962, Segóstegui 3907 (US), San Miguel, 2100–2400 m alt, Hall s.n. (K, holotype of A. formosa Humboldt &: Bonpland var. polystachya Nees). HUANUCO: Huassahuassi, Ruiz & Pavon s.n.; Dombey s.n. (G, P). Summit of Pisagua, 2400 m alt, Hall s.n. (K). BOLIVIA. Eastern Andes, Pearce 368 (K). WITHOUT EXACT LOCALITY. Equateur et Perou, 1872, Grisar s.n. (P); Peru, Lobb s.n. (K, W).

Aphelandra mutisii Leonard

Aphelandra mutisii Leonard, Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb. 31:136. 1953.

Shrubby plants to 4 m high; stems densely and softly pilose or subtomentose, the hairs yellowish, to 1 mm long, spreading or retrorse; leaf blades oblong to oblanceolate or narrowly obovate, to 9 cm long and 4 cm wide, acute to acuminate, narrowed at base, thick, subcoriaceous, serrate, the teeth rather closely set, 2–3 mm long, each terminated by sharp, straight spines 2–3 mm long, the upper surface nitid, rather sparingly pilose, the costa densely so, the hairs to 1 mm long, yellowish, the costa, lateral veins (about 20 pairs) and veinlets shallowly impressed, the veinlets reticulately anastomosing, the lower surface densely and softly tawny pilose or subtomentose, the costa and veins prominent, the reticulation obscured by the dense pubescence; petioles to 5 mm long, the pubescence similar to that of the stems; interpetiolar bracts small triangular, to 4 mm long, sparingly pilose, the veins excurrent, ending in 1–5 straight sharp yellowish spines to 6 mm long, the middle one longer than the others; flowers borne in terminal or, with maturity both terminal and lateral spikes, these dense, to 7 cm long and 3 cm broad, the lowermost bracts intergrading into stem leaves, the rachis densely tawny pilose; bracts narrowly oblong, 15–20 mm long, about 6 mm wide, otherwise resembling the leaf blades; bractlets narrowly lanceolate, to 8 mm long and 3 mm wide near the base, ending in a spine about 3 mm long and bearing 1 or 2 shorter spines on the margins, rather densely pilosulous and ciliate except at the base, the hairs yellowish, the nerves prominent; calyx segments oblong-lanceolate, about 1 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, tipped by a weak spine, puberulous toward tip, glabrous below, ciliate, some of the marginal hairs glandular; corolla about 3 cm long, 7 mm broad at mouth, bright orange-red to red, sparingly and minutely pubescent, the upper lip erect, arched, about 9 mm long and 4 mm wide, 2-lobed, the lobes oval, about 2.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, rounded, the lower lip 3-lobed nearly to the base, the lobes subequal, about 5 mm long, rounded; capsule 15 mm long, 6 mm broad, 4 or 5 mm thick, blunt at tip, glabrous, nitid, minutely punctate.

TYPE.—J. C. Mutis 1943 (holotype US), Colombia, 1760–1808.

DISTRIBUTION.—Southern Colombia and Ecuador. COLOMBIA. NARIÑO: Near Pasto, 2500 m alt, 1851–1857, Triana s.n. (K, P, NY, US, W); Pasto, 2137 m alt, Karsten s.n. (W); Pasto, 2000 m alt, Engels s.n. (LE); near Túquerres, 3000 m alt, 16 May 1876, André 3198 (K). ECUADOR. PICHINCHA: Near Tigua, Sodiro 122/10 (P); TUNGURAHUA: Pangor, Oct 1858, Spruce 5573 (K, W). BOLÍVAR: Vinchoa, 2800 m alt, 29 Sep 1943, Acosta 5939 (F); San Simón, near Guaranda, 2700 m alt, 18 Nov 1943, Acosta 6811 (F); Atio de Telimbela, 2800 m alt, 24 Jan 1944, Acosta 7162 (F). CAÑAR: N. rim of the valley of the Río de Canar, between Tambo and Suscal, 2000–3000 m alt, 23 Apr 1945, Camp E-2751 (NY, US).