Aphelandra prismatica (Vell.) Hiern

Aphelandra prismatica (Vellozo) Hiern

Aphelandra prismatica (Vellozo) Hiern, Nat. For. Kjoeb. Vidensk. Meddel. 78. 1877.—Bentham & Hooker, Genera Plantarum 2, pt. 2:1103. 1876.—Lindau in Engler and Prantl, Natürl. Pflanzenfam. 4, Abt. 3b:322. 1895.—L. B. Smith, Phytologia 1:82. 1934.

Ruellia quadrangularis Vellozo, Fl. Flum. 267, n. 7. 1825; Icones, 6, pl. 97. 1831.

Ruellia prismatica Vellozo, Fl. Flum. 267, n. 8. 1825; Icones, 6, pl. 98. 1831.

Strobilorhachis glabra Klotzsch in Otto & Dietrich, Allgem. Gartenz. 7:308. 1839; in Link, Klotzsch & Otto, Ic. Pl. Rar., 117, pl. 48. 1841.

Hydromestus maculatus Scheidweiler in Otto & Dietrich, Allgem. Gartenz. 1842:285. 1842.—Hooker, Bot. Mag. 77, pl. 4556. 1851.

Strobilorhachis prismatica (Vellozo) Nees in Martius, Fl. Bras. 9:84. 1847; in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:294. 1847.

Lagochilium hydromestus Nees in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:291. 1847.

Aphelandra hydromestus (Nees) Hemsley, Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 2:512. 1882.

Aphelandra prismatica var. stenophylla Rizzini, Arquiv. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 8:323. 1948.

Aphelandra lurida Rizzini, Dusenia 3:181. 1952.

Small, suffrutescent shrub about 1 m high; stems purplish, terete, branching, somewhat flattened at summit, canaliculate, glabrate, the internodes 2–6 cm long; leaves glabrous, the blades oblong to ovate-lanceolate, 15–20 cm long, 4.5–9 cm wide, the tip blunt, cuneately narrowed and decurrent on the petiole at base, entire or undulate, slightly sinuate, finely membranaceous, the upper surface yellowish green, the lower surface paler green, the costa and veins (7–10 pairs) rather prominent, arcuate; petioles (unwinged portion) 2–4 cm long, very similar to the stem; flowers borne in solitary, axillary and terminal spikes, these 7–15 cm long, 1.5–3 cm broad (without corollas), the bracts closely imbricate, spreading with age, the peduncle 0.2–0.5 cm long, glabrous; bracts oblong-elliptic, 20–30 mm long, 11–13 mm wide, acute to acuminate, mucronulate, carinate, bright green, entire, glabrous, striatenerved, bordered by a narrow subhyaline margin about 0.5 mm wide; bractlets lance-ovate, 3.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, acute, carinate, subhyaline, striate-nerved, glabrous to glabrate; calyx 5 mm long, the segments lanceolate (the posterior segment lance-ovate, acute to obtuse), subhyaline, striate-nerved, glabrous or the tip of the margin puberulous, the posterior segment 2.25 mm wide just below the middle, the anterior pair 1.75 mm wide, the lateral pair 1.25 mm wide; corolla showy, yellow, 3–4 cm long, well exserted beyond the subtending bracts, glabrous, the tube narrow, 2.5 cm long, 2 mm wide at base, thence gradually enlarged and infundibular, 8 mm wide at mouth, the lobes obtuse, the upper lip spreading, obovate, 10 mm long and 15 mm wide, bifid, the lobes 5 mm long and 7 mm wide, the lower lip 3-lobed, subequal, the middle lobe elliptic, 10 mm long, 6.5 mm wide, the lateral lobes elliptic-oblong, 12 mm long, 7.5 mm wide; stamens included; anthers 4 mm long, villous, apiculate, rounded at base; filaments epipetalous in throat of corolla tube, villous; style included; capsule about 12 mm long and 4.5 mm wide, smooth, pointed at tip, the valves recurved upon maturity; seeds flat, subquadrate, 4.5 mm long and 4 mm wide, brown, sparingly puberulent.

TYPE.—Vellozo s.n., lost, if any specimens were ever made. Typification is on the basis of the description and plate, especially the latter. The only locality data is under the synonym Ruellia quadrangularis: “… habitat silvis maritimis Pharmacopolitanis. Offendi ad ripas fluvii Paraty—merim vulgo dicti.”

DISTRIBUTION.—Southeastern Brazil, in woods in the states of Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara, and São Paulo. BRAZIL. ESPIRITO SANTO: Cachoeira da Itapemirim, 700 m alt, 3 Jun 1949, Brade 19971 (RB, holotype of Aphelandra lurida Rizzini). RIO DE JANEIRO: Near Therézopolis, 8 Feb 1826, Burchell 2001 (K); 21 Feb 1826, Burchell 2482 (K); Mandiocca, Langsdorff s.n. (LE); Serra d’Estrella, 1833, Luschnath s.n. (BR); near St. Anna, Dec 1823, Beyrich s.n. (B, destroyed, holotype of Strobilorhachis glabra Klotsch); Petrópolis, 1879, Wawra 21 (W); Serra de Petrópolis, Feb 1966, Duarte 9671 (RB, US); woods old road to Petrópolis, 29 Jan 1968, Smith & McWilliams 15345a (US); 1830, Riedel 0.36 (LE). GUANABARA: Rio de Janeiro, 1816–1821, St. Hilaire 207 (P); 725 (P); 1817–1818, Mikan s.n. (W); 1817–1820, Martiuss.n. (M), (F photo 20497); 1821, Langsdorff s.n. (P); Feb 1824, Guadichaud s.n. (K); 18311833, Gaudichaud 116 (P); 494 (P); 1839, Wilkes Expedition s.n. (US); 1840, Regnell s.n. (S); 1843, Widgren 199 (S); 1843, Weddell 181 (P); 1844, Widgren 23 (BR, S); Corcovado, 28 Jan 1868, Glaziou 2653 (BR, K); eastern end of Serra da Carioca, 200–500 m alt, 26 Mar 1929, L. B. Smith 2165 (GH); Corcovado, Feb 1818, Pohl 5010 (W); 1838, Raven 216 (BR); 1859–1860, Wawra & Maly 506 (W); 9 Jun 1862, Nadeaud s.n. (P); 1813–29, Langsdorff s.n. (LE); Apr 1832, Riedel & Luschnath s.n. (LE); Paineiras, 27 Feb 1881, Saldanha 502 (P). SÃO PAULO: Serra do Mar, near S. Cruz, 1818, Martius s.n. (M); Alto da Serra, 2 Feb 1913, Brade 6050 (S); 1000 m alt, 14 Jun 1922, Holway 1970 (US); Estação Biologica, 800–900 m alt, 17 Feb 1929, L. B. Smith 1934 (US); Santos, 10.12. 1874, Mosén 2910 (S); Río das Pedras, Burchell 3615 (K). WITHOUT EXACT LOCALITY. 1815, Freyreiss s.n. (S); 1817–1818, Raddi s.n. (FI); 1842, Claussen 1962 (P); 1869, Glaziou s.n. (P); Staunton s.n. (W); Lalande s.n. (P); Sellow s.n. (K); Riedel & Langsdorff 106 (LE).

Aphelandra prismatica has also been reported from Mexico, but to date no specimens have been seen from Mexico or Central America. It was introduced into the botanical gardens of Europe in 1842 and I assume that erroneous data placed its center of origin in Mexico rather than Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Aphelandra hydromestus (Nees) Hemsley is based on. Hydromestus maculatus Scheidweiler, the latter of which is represented by a specimen deposited in the Kew Herbarium. This specimen is A. prismatica (Vellozo), Hiern. Nees (1847) called this species Lagochilium hydromestus, since the specific epithet maculatum was already occupied by another species.

Rizzini did not designate a type for his A. prismatica var. stenophylla, though he cited a number of specimens deposited in the Jardin Botânico (RB) namely nos. 58.964, 54.790, 34.447, and 55.576. These specimens were seen in that herbarium and I conclude that they represent typical A. prismatica (Vellozo) Hiern.

Aphelandra prismatica là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Ô rô. Loài này được (Vell.) Hiern mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1877.