Aphelandra pilosa Leonard

Aphelandra pilosa Leonard

Aphelandra pilosa Leonard, Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb. 31:209. 1953.

Slender shrubs to 3 or occasionally 5 m high, sparingly branched; the stems erect or ascending (sometimes tortuous), subquadrate and densely pilose-sericeous toward tip, the hairs light brown to whitish, to 2 mm long, the lower portions of the stem terete, gray, glabrate; leaf blades oblong to oblong-elliptic or broadly oblanceolate, the uppermost 15–30 cm long and 5–10 cm wide, the lowermost as much as 45 cm long and 16.5 cm wide, all more or less abruptly acuminate (the apex often more or less curved), gradually narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, subcoriaceous, entire or undulate, the upper surface drying olive or brownish, glabrate to sparingly hirsute-strigose, the costa and lateral veins densely so, the hairs light brown, the costa and lateral veins (14–20 pairs) flat or slightly raised, inconspicuous, the lower surface drying light olive green, more densely pilose-sericeous than above, the venation rather prominent; petioles to 1.5 or occasionally 2 cm long, the pubescence similar to that of the stem; spikes solitary or, if several, fascicled, or often forming a loose panicle (the terminal spike subsessile, the lateral ones pedunculate) 5–17 cm long, 5–7 cm broad, the peduncles to 4 cm long, the pubescence that of the stems, the rachis white-cottony; bracts closely imbricate, entire, rhombic-ovate, 9 mm long, 6–6.5 mm wide at 1.5 mm above base, acute, minutely puberulous to glabrate, pubescent or pilose toward base, coriaceous, ciliate, ocelli 3–6, elliptic, about 1 mm long and 0.75 mm wide, flat, varnished, variously grouped, contiguous or sometimes fused; bractlets lanceolate, 8 mm long and 2 mm wide, carinate, the keel densely white-pilose, striate-nerved, the nerves curved at base, the margins thin; calyx 8–8.5 mm long, the posterior segment narrowly ovate, 3 mm wide near middle, the anterior pair lanceolate, 2 mm wide, the lateral pair linearlanceolate, 1.5 mm wide, these slightly obtuse and apiculate, the others acute, all puberulous, ciliate toward tip and striate-nerved, the nerves indurate at base; corolla red, puberulous, 6.5 cm long from base to tip of upper lip, the tube 3 mm broad at base, narrowed to 2 mm at 7 mm above base, thence gradually enlarged to a slightly curved cylindric throat about 6 mm broad, the upper lip erect, 2 cm long, 7 mm wide at base of lobes, middle lobe of the lower lip spreading, narrowly elliptic, 2.5 cm long, slightly more than 6 mm wide, acute, the lateral lobes adnate in part to the upper lip, their free portions 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, rounded at tip; stamens exserted about 15 mm beyond the mouth of the corolla tube; anthers 6 mm long, 1 mm broad, the basal lobes apiculate, the cells dorsally pilose; pistils glabrous; capsules not seen.

TYPE.—J. Cuatrecasas 7223 (holotype US), Colombia, Vaupés, woods and thickets of Zurubi, Caño Cuduyari, 200 m alt, 15 Oct 1939.

DISTRIBUTION.—Southern Venezuela and Amazonian Colombia at low elevations. VENEZUELA. BOLÍVAR: Río Parguaza, just below Raudal Maraca (about 110 river km from mouth, 115 m alt, 29 Dec 1955, Wurdack & Monachino 41007 (NY, US, VEN). COLOMBIA. BOYACÁ: In warm valleys, Dawe 900 (K). META: 12 km SE of Villavicencio, 400 m alt, 9 Jan 1939, Haught 2536 (US); woods of Caño Quenane, 25 Jan 1942, Dugand & Jaramillo 3117 (US); Reserve Nacional de la Macarena, southernmost slopes of Macarena Mountains, immediate to the Río Guayabero, 250–300 m alt, 25 Jan 1968, Thomas, Hernández, Pinto 1584 (COL, P). VAUPÉS: Between the Río Vaupés and Cerro de Mitu, 320 m alt, 7–8 Nov 1953, Humbert 27305 (P, US); Río Guaviare, San José del Guaviare, 240 m alt, 6 Nov 1939, Cuatrecasas 7478 (US); mesa La Lindosa, 15–20 km S of San José del Guaviare, 400–600 m alt, 13–15 Dec 1950, Idrobo & Schultes 631 (US); mouth of the Ariaré with the Río Guayabero, right bank of the Río Guaviare, 21 Feb 1969, Pinto & Sastre 934 (COL); Circasia, sandy savanna with quartzite base along the Río Vaupés, 240 m alt, Nov 1951, Schultes & Cabrera 19633 (US); savanna of Yapobodá, along the Río Kuduyarí (tributary to the Río Vaupés), 210–240 m alt, 18 Nov 1952, Schultes, Baker, & Cabrera 18455 (US); Yapobodá, Río Kuduyarí, 4–6 Oct 1951, Schultes & Cabrera 14268 (COL); in Wacaricuara, path of the Río Paca and Papurí, 7 Dec 1952, Romero 3902 (COL); Río Vaupés, from Guaracapuri to Tipiaca or Villa Fatima, 12 Nov 1952, Romero 3420 (COL). CAQUETÁ: Woods at Sucre, 1000–1300 m alt, 4 Apr 1940, Cuatrecasas 9052 (US). PUTUMAYO: Río Putumayo at Puerto Ospina, 230 m alt, 14 Nov 1940, Cuatrecasas 10562 (US); Puerto Porvenir, above Puerto Ospina, 230–250 m alt, 19 Nov 1940, Cuatrecasas 10656 (US).