Monographs Details:
Authority:
Leonard, Emery C. 1953. The Acanthaceae of Colombia, II. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 31: i-viii, 119-322.
Leonard, Emery C. 1953. The Acanthaceae of Colombia, II. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 31: i-viii, 119-322.
Family:
Acanthaceae
Acanthaceae
Description:
Description - Shrubs up to 4 meters high; stems glabrous or nearly so, occasionally tomentulose toward tip, fleshy; leaf blades obovate to oblong-obovate or lanceolate, up to 30 cm. long and 10 cm. wide, acuminate, cuneate at base, chartaceous, the margins more or less narrowly recurved, dentate or incised-dentate, the excurrent nerves terminating in sharp spines 1 to 5 mm, long, the upper surface drying olive green, nitid, glabrous or sparingly floccose, the hairs confined chiefly to the costa and lateral veins (10 to 30 pairs), the lower surface drying dull green or brown, glabrous, or the costa and veins sparingly floccose, these more prominent beneath than above; petioles up to 2 cm. long, glabrous or sparingly floccose interpetiolar bracts triangular, retrorse, up to 5 mm. long, 1-to 5-nerved, the nerves excurrent, ending in sharp, straight spines 1 to 4 mm. long flowers usually numerous and crowded, borne in a simple terminal spike or in both terminal and lateral spikes, then forming a rather large pyramidal crowded or sometimes loose terminal paniculate inflorescence up to 20 cm. long and broad, the peduncles and rachises glabrous or floccose; bracts triangular, 7 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, glabrous, purplish red, ciliolate, obscurely nerved, the costa excurrent, ending in a small spine about 0.5 mm. long; bractlets lanceolate, 5 to 6 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, acuminate, purplish red, ciliolate; calyx segments oblong, about 9 mm. long, 2.5 to 3.5 mm. wide, obtuse to acute, mucronulate, glabrous, entire to erose or erose-dentate near tip, the upper portion more or less ciliate with glandular or eglandular hairs or both ; corolla red, glabrous, 3.5 to 4 cm. long, the tube subcylindric, slightly curved, about 4 mm. broad near base, slightly constricted at about 5 mm. above the base, thence gradually enlarged to 5 mm, at mouth, the throat transversely undulate-rugose, the upper lip oblong-ovate, about 15 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, rounded, sometimes obscurely 3-lobed near the tip, ciliate, finely and sparingly pilose within, the lower lip definitely 3-lobed, the lobes ovate, 5 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, rounded; capsules oblong-clavate, 18 mm. long, about 3 mm. broad at base, 6 mm. broad at middle, obtuse, glabrous, minutely punctate; seed flat, obliquely oblong, 5 mm. long, 3.5 mm. broad, 1.5 mm. thick, brown, minutely roughened.
Description - Shrubs up to 4 meters high; stems glabrous or nearly so, occasionally tomentulose toward tip, fleshy; leaf blades obovate to oblong-obovate or lanceolate, up to 30 cm. long and 10 cm. wide, acuminate, cuneate at base, chartaceous, the margins more or less narrowly recurved, dentate or incised-dentate, the excurrent nerves terminating in sharp spines 1 to 5 mm, long, the upper surface drying olive green, nitid, glabrous or sparingly floccose, the hairs confined chiefly to the costa and lateral veins (10 to 30 pairs), the lower surface drying dull green or brown, glabrous, or the costa and veins sparingly floccose, these more prominent beneath than above; petioles up to 2 cm. long, glabrous or sparingly floccose interpetiolar bracts triangular, retrorse, up to 5 mm. long, 1-to 5-nerved, the nerves excurrent, ending in sharp, straight spines 1 to 4 mm. long flowers usually numerous and crowded, borne in a simple terminal spike or in both terminal and lateral spikes, then forming a rather large pyramidal crowded or sometimes loose terminal paniculate inflorescence up to 20 cm. long and broad, the peduncles and rachises glabrous or floccose; bracts triangular, 7 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, glabrous, purplish red, ciliolate, obscurely nerved, the costa excurrent, ending in a small spine about 0.5 mm. long; bractlets lanceolate, 5 to 6 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, acuminate, purplish red, ciliolate; calyx segments oblong, about 9 mm. long, 2.5 to 3.5 mm. wide, obtuse to acute, mucronulate, glabrous, entire to erose or erose-dentate near tip, the upper portion more or less ciliate with glandular or eglandular hairs or both ; corolla red, glabrous, 3.5 to 4 cm. long, the tube subcylindric, slightly curved, about 4 mm. broad near base, slightly constricted at about 5 mm. above the base, thence gradually enlarged to 5 mm, at mouth, the throat transversely undulate-rugose, the upper lip oblong-ovate, about 15 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, rounded, sometimes obscurely 3-lobed near the tip, ciliate, finely and sparingly pilose within, the lower lip definitely 3-lobed, the lobes ovate, 5 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, rounded; capsules oblong-clavate, 18 mm. long, about 3 mm. broad at base, 6 mm. broad at middle, obtuse, glabrous, minutely punctate; seed flat, obliquely oblong, 5 mm. long, 3.5 mm. broad, 1.5 mm. thick, brown, minutely roughened.
Discussion:
Flowering from April to February, but chiefly in December. Bro. Tomás (No. 770) states that the plants produce a white latex. The leaf blades vary greatly. Some are merely irregularly toothed, range from moderately to rather deeply pinnatifid or incised. Likewise the venation varies from moderately to extremely prominent. On the other hand, little if any variation is to be found in the inflorescence. The corollas are, as Dawe (No. 766) expresses it, a striking red. A photograph of Lehmami's 7574 deposited in the Berlin Herbarium is in the U. S. National Herbarium (Field Mus. photograph No. 8668). The Berlin sheet bears an unpublished name written by Lindau.
Flowering from April to February, but chiefly in December. Bro. Tomás (No. 770) states that the plants produce a white latex. The leaf blades vary greatly. Some are merely irregularly toothed, range from moderately to rather deeply pinnatifid or incised. Likewise the venation varies from moderately to extremely prominent. On the other hand, little if any variation is to be found in the inflorescence. The corollas are, as Dawe (No. 766) expresses it, a striking red. A photograph of Lehmami's 7574 deposited in the Berlin Herbarium is in the U. S. National Herbarium (Field Mus. photograph No. 8668). The Berlin sheet bears an unpublished name written by Lindau.
Common Names:
cresto de gallo
cresto de gallo