Aphelandra sericantha Leonard

Aphelandra sericantha Leonard

Aphelandra sericantha Leonard, Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb. 31: 245. 1953.

Shrubs to 1 m high or higher; stems subterete, glabrous except the upper portions, these strigose; leaf blades oblong-elliptic or broadly oblonglanceolate, to 20 cm long and 5.5 cm wide, acuminate, narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, submembranaceous, entire or undulate, the upper surface glabrous to thinly strigose, the venation mostly inconspicuous, the lower surface drying lighter olive than the upper, minutely strigose to hirtellous, the hairs confined chiefly to the costa and veins (10–12 pairs), the venation conspicuous, the veinlets coarsely reticulate; petioles to 5 cm long, sparingly strigillose; spike terminal, solitary, subsessile, subtended by a pair of small leaves about 1.5 cm long and 5 mm wide, the rachis angled, densely hirtellous, the hairs light brown; bracts oval, entire, 20 mm long, 12 mm wide, obtuse to subacute and apiculate, coriaceous, the basal portion minutely silky-pilose, light brown, the inner surface sparingly strigillose, the nerves closely parallel, the veinlets reticulate near the subhyaline margins, ocelli replaced by an irregular, elliptic, alveolar spot; bractlets lanceolate, 8.5 mm long, 2.25 mm wide near base, acuminate (the lower portion carinate), glabrous except the hirtellous tip, striate-nerved, the costa and adjacent nerves swollen and confluent at base; calyx segments subequal, 15 mm long, lanceolate, subcoriaceous, striate-nerved, glabrous or ciliate at tip, the costa and adjacent nerves swollen and confluent at base, the posterior segment 4.5 mm wide, subobtuse and more or less lacerate, the anterior segments 2.5 mm wide, subobtuse and apiculate, the lateral segments 2.25 mm wide, acute; corolla yellow, to 6 cm long, densely hirtellous, except the glabrous basal portion, the hairs yellowish brown, the tube about 6 mm broad at mouth, the upper lip erect, elliptic, 25 mm long, 4 mm wide, bilobed at tip, the lobes rounded, the lower lip spreading, 3-lobed, the middle lobe ovate, about 2.2 cm long, obtuse at apex, the lateral lobes minute and connate with the basal portion of the upper lip, the free portion triangular, 6 mm long and 2 mm wide at base, obtuse at apex; stamens exserted, almost reaching the tip of the middle lobe of the lower lip; capsule not seen.

TYPE.—J. Triana s.n. (holotype K, isotypes COL, P), Colombia, Caldas, Pacora, 1800 m alt, Feb 1852.

DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from the typelocality.