Aphelandra taborensis Leonard

Aphelandra taborensis Leonard

Aphelandra taborensis Leonard, Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb. 31: 181. 1953.

Small branching tree; tips of the stems densely strigose, the lower portions glabrate; leaf blades oblanceolate, 12–13.5 cm long, 3–4.5 cm wide or those subtending the spikes smaller, acuminate, the tip itself blunt, gradually narrowed from above middle to the base, gray-green, the upper surface drying olive, glabrate or the younger leaves rather densely strigose, the lower surface drying grayish olive, densely pubescent, the hairs on the costa and veins appressed, light brown, the costa and lateral veins (11 or 12 pairs) prominent, especially on the lower surface; petioles about 1 cm long, appressed-pubescent; spikes usually 3, terminal and subterminal, the peduncles 1–2 cm long, the spikes 4–7 cm long and 1.5 cm broad, both peduncles and rachis densely brown-pubescent; bracts ovate, 9–10 mm long, 7.5 mm wide, obtuse and minutely apiculate, rose-violet, coriaceous, entire, densely pubescent dorsally, the glandular area on either side poorly defined, the individual ocelli joined to form a small pitted area; bractlets lanceolate, 11 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, acuminate, obliquely carinate, densely pubescent dorsally, striate-nerved; calyx 14 mm long, the segments lanceolate, the posterior segment 5 mm wide, the anterior pair 3 mm wide, the lateral pair 2.5 mm wide, all acute, puberulous dorsally, striate-nerved; corollas about 5.8 cm long, bright red, puberulous, except the basal portion, the tube 2 mm broad at base, enlarged to 3 mm, thence narrowed to 2 mm at 7 mm above base, then gradually enlarged to 5 mm at throat, the upper lip erect, elliptic, 17 mm long, about 8 mm wide at middle, 2-lobed at apex, the lobes triangular, 2.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, acute, the lower lip 3-lobed, the middle lobe spreading, lanceolate, 24 mm long, about 8 mm wide below middle, obtuse and minutely apiculate at tip, the lateral lobes 9 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, subacute, their upper margins partly attached to the upper lip, their free portion triangular; stamens reaching the sinus of the upper lip; anthers 6 mm long, their lobes minutely apiculate at base; filaments glabrous; the pistil slightly exceeding the stamens; ovary glabrous; mature capsule not seen.

TYPE.—J. Cuatrecasas 22284 (holotype US), Colombia, Valle, on Monte El Tabor, on the ridge of the Cordillera Occidental, above Las Brisas, 1970–2100 m alt, 19 Oct 1946.

DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from the typelocality.