Aphelandra lineariloba Leonard

Aphelandra lineariloba Leonard

Aphelandra linearitoba Leonard, Kew Bull. 1938:63. 1938.

Shrub to 3 m high; the stems terete, glabrous or the tips strigillose; leaf blades oblong-ovate, to 12 cm long and 5 cm wide, acuminate, narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, entire, firm, both surfaces sparingly hirtellous to glabrate, the hairs of the lower surface confined chiefly to the costa and lateral nerves (8–10 pairs); petioles slender, to 2.5 cm long, glabrous to strigillose; flowers in terminal or subterminal spikes 10–30 cm long and 2 cm in diameter, the rachis finely glandularpubescent; bracts obovate, 15–17 mm long, 8–10 mm wide, obtuse to acute, ending in a mucro 0.5 mm long, often purplish, imbricate, entire, obscurely 3-nerved, both surfaces glandularpubescent; bractlets lanceolate, 12–13 mm long, 2–3 mm wide near base, veiny, carinate, both surfaces glandular-pubescent, the costa prominent; calyx segments subequal, striate-nerved, glandularpubescent without, glabrous within, the posterior segment lanceolate, 14 mm long and 4 mm wide, the anterior pair narrowly lanceolate, 13–15 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, long acuminate, the lateral pair narrowly lanceolate, 13 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, long acuminate; corollas 3–4 cm long, purple, glandular-puberulous, the tube gradually enlarged from 4.5 mm at base to 6 mm at mouth, the lips 1 cm long, the upper lip erect, ovate, 12 mm long, 9 mm wide at base, 2-lobed, the lobes 0.5 mm long, 1 mm wide at base, acute, the lower lip 3-lobed, the middle lobe linear-lanceolate, 10 mm long, 2 mm wide, the lateral lobes subulate, 8 mm long, 1.5 mm wide; stamens reaching the throat of the corolla, the shorter filament of each pair glabrous or bearing a few hairs near the base, the longer bearing a line of spreading hairs to 0.5 mm long; anthers 2.5 mm long, glabrous; ovary 3.5 mm long, glabrous; capsule ovoid, about 17 mm long, 7 mm wide, obtuse, densely brownish-puberulous, 4-seeded; retinacula 2 mm long, cucullate; seeds flat, suborbicular, 3.5 mm in diameter, densely hirtellous.

TYPE.—G. B. Hinton 7412 (holotype K, isotype US), Mexico, México, Temascaltepec, Villaneda, 22 Feb 1935.

DISTRIBUTION.—Southeastern Mexico in the states of México, Michoacán, and Guerrero. MEXICO. MÉXICO: Temascaltepec, Acatitlan, 16 Dec 1933, Hinton 3156 (K, US). MICHOACÁN: Coalcoman, Coalcoman, 1000 m alt, 8 Jan 1939, Hinton 12881 (US); 16 Mar 1939, Hinton 13623 (US); Huizontla, 600 m alt, 15 Mar 1941, Hinton 15794 (F, K, P, UC, US, W). GUERRERO: Achotla, 900 m alt, 1 Jan 1927, Reko 5047 (US); Vallecitos, Montes de Oca, 9 Dec 1937, Hinton 11648 (K, US); Sierra Madre del Sur, N of Río Balsas, Adama, Temisco, 600 m alt, 6 Dec 1937, Mexia 8952 (US).