Aphelandra ignea Nees ex Steud.

Aphelandra ignea (Schrader) Nees ex Steudel

Aphelandra ignea (Schrader) Nees ex Steudel, Nom. ed. 2, 1:111. 1840.

Synandra ignea Schrader, Maxim. Princ. Videns. It. 2:343. 1821.

Synandra amoena Schrader, Goett. Gel. Anz. 1:715. 1821.—Steudel in Nom. ed. 2, 1:111. 1840.

Stenandrium igneum Nees in Martius, Fl. Bras. 9:78. 1847.

Lagochilium igneum Nees in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:292. 1847.

Aphelandra pumila J. D. Hooker, Bot. Mag. 105, pl. 6467. 1879.

Aphelandra pumila J. D. Hooker var. splendens Regel, Gartenfl. 32:1. 1883.

A low decumbent herb; stems dichotomously branched, almost absent or extremely short, about 4 mm in diameter, densely pilose, each branch tipped by a spike and bearing two leaves; leaf blades elliptic-ovate, 10–12 cm long and 4.5–7 cm wide, rather gradually narrowed to an obtuse tip, cordate to subcordate at base, the lower leaves smaller and more densely cordate, firm, entire or undulate, the upper surface sparingly to densely pilose, the costa and lateral veins (7–9 pairs) conspicuous, arcuate, the lower surface drying a lighter reddish brown than the upper, moderately pilose, especially the costa and lateral veins; petioles 2–7 cm long, densely hirsute; flowers borne in 1 or 2 simple, terminal spikes, these 3.5–5 cm long, the peduncles as long as the spike, hirsutulous; bracts obovate-cuneate, 15–18 mm long, 6–10 mm wide above the middle, acuminate, mucronulate, narrowed at base, firm, nerved, glabrous to sparingly hirsute, the margins spinulose-serrate toward the tip, with 5–7 teeth on each side, sparingly ciliolate; bractlets linear, 4 mm long, 0.6 mm wide, subhyaline, mucronulate, ciliate; calyx 8–10 mm long, the posterior segment oblong-lanceolate, 2 mm wide, 3-lobed with excurrent midnerve, the anterior pair lanceolate, 1.5 mm wide, acuminate, mucronulate, the lateral pair linear, 1 mm wide, slenderly acuminate, mucronulate, all segments subhyaline, striate-nerved, glabrous, ciliolate; corolla 3 cm long, glabrous to sparingly puberulent, bright yellow, the tube cylindric, 2 mm broad at base, the upper narrowly ampliate, about 5 mm broad at mouth, the corolla lips oval, the upper lip erect, about 5 mm long and 5 mm wide, entire, rounded, the lower lip 3-lobed, the middle lobe broadest, 7 mm long, 5.5 mm wide, rounded, the two lateral lobes 5.5 mm long, 4.5 mm wide, rounded, the margins all undulate; stamens barely exceeding the mouth of the corolla tube; filaments glabrous; anthers hirsute, 2.5 mm long, apiculate at both apex and base.

TYPE.—Maximilian Prinz zu Wied-Neuwied s.n. (holotype BR), Brazil, in woods, Jan 1817.

DISTRIBUTION.—Southern Brazil. BRAZIL. MINAS GERAIS: Universidade Rural do Estado de Minas Gerais, Viçosa, 3937 (US). WITHOUT EXACT LOCALITY. Horto bot. Petropolitano, May 1880 (LE); 1876–77, cultivated by Bull s.n. (K, holotype of A. pumila Hooker).