Aphelandra montis-scalaris Lindau ex Pilg.

Aphelandra montis-scalaris Lindau ex Pilger

Aphelandra montis-scalaris Lindau ex Pilger, Verh. Bot. Ver. Brand. 47:188. 1905.

Shrub to 2 m high; branches woody, smooth; leaf blades 12–18 cm long, 5–7 cm wide, obtusely acuminate, cuneate at base, subcoriaceous, glabrous, entire; petioles 2–3 cm long; spikes short, 1–2 cm long, few-flowered, in the axils of the upper leaves forming a thyrse, the peduncles to 3 cm long, sparingly pilose; bracts obcordate, 10 mm long, 4 mm wide at base, 8 mm wide at tip, minutely pilose, entire, parallel-nerved; bractlets ovate, 5 mm long, 2 mm wide, obtuse, minutely pilose; calyx segments ovate, glabrous, the posterior segment 6 mm long, 3 mm wide, the anterior 5.5 mm long, 2 mm wide, the lateral 5.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide; corolla red, 4.1 cm long, the tube obconical, 37 mm long, 2 mm wide at base, 7 mm at middle, 9 mm at mouth, the lobes rounded, the upper lip 4 mm in diameter, the lower lip 3 mm; stamens 25 mm long, exserted; anthers 4 mm long; pollen grains typical, 60μ long, 30μ diameter; style 4.5 cm long, pilose at base.

TYPE.—E. Ule 6558 (holotype B, lost, F photo 8675, isotype K), Peru, Loreto, Cerro do Escaler, 1200 m alt, Nov 1902.

DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from the typelocality.

A close affinity evidently exists between this and A. jacobinioides. In this latter species, however, the corolla is orange instead of red, the corolla tube about 5 mm longer, and the posterior calyx segment truncate, and thus dissimilar to the lateral and anterior segments. In A. montis-scalaris all the calyx segments are ovate.