Aphelandra
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Authority
Leonard, Emery C. 1953. The Acanthaceae of Colombia, II. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 31: i-viii, 119-322.
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Family
Acanthaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Shrubs or suffrutescent herbs; leaves opposite, petiolate, the blades usually large, oblong to elliptic, toothed, lobed, entire, or crenate; flowers of various shades of red, yellow, orange or occasionally white or cream, borne in terminal usually large-bracted spikes; flower-bracts entire or toothed, those of certain species bearing dorsally on either side a group of ocelli, these few, oval, brownish, rather conspicuous or very numerous and minute appearing even under magnification as a more or less irregular alveolar area; bractlets various, in a few species rudimentary; calyx divided nearly to the base into 5 segments, these usually lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous or chartaceous, striate-veined, the posterior segment usually broader than the others and sometimes toothed at tip (in a few species the calyx is rudimentary; corolla tube straight or curved, the limb usually bilabiate, the upper lip erect, bilobed or entire, the lower lip reflexed-spreading, 3-lobed, the middle lobe often larger than the lateral ones, these sometimes very small and adn ate to the base of the upper lip; stamens 4, usually slightly exserted, but rarely if ever exceeding the upper lip of the corolla; anthers narrow, one-celled, often pilose dorsally and adhering at tips by webby hairs; capsules usually ovoid or cylindric, 4-seeded.
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Discussion
Aphelandra, one of the larger genera of the family, is restricted to tropical America. The flowering spikes are often large and beautifully colored, even to the bracts, and in certain species varigated or colored leaves occur. In spite of its attractiveness, however, these plants are rarely met with in cultivation, possibly because of culture difficulties. This may be explained by the fact that many of the species are shade plants from damp forests. In contrast to most genera of the family, there are no cystoliths. Important characters in the genus Aphelandra, linking large series of species, are the presence of spiny interpetiolar bracts, the presence or absence of teeth, spiny or otherwise, on the margins of the leaf blades or flower bracts, and the presence or absence of ocelli on the flower bracts. These ocelli may be represented by one to several rather large oval brownish or blackish glands plainly visible under a lens or even to the unaided eye, or again they may be very numerous and minute, visible only under a high magnification. Without aid of a lens, these minute ocelli appear as more or less irregular dark alveolar areas on the bracts. In one large group of species, chiefly the pulcherrima-tetragona complex, the lower lip of the corolla is apparently entire and seems to consist of a single segment. A careful examination will, however, reveal small lateral lobes, adnate to the basal portion of the upper lip with only their tips free and appearing as small rounded or triangular projections.