Aphelandra aurantiaca (Scheidw.) Lindl.
-
Authority
Leonard, Emery C. 1953. The Acanthaceae of Colombia, II. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 31: i-viii, 119-322.
-
Family
Acanthaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Description
Description - Herbaceous to suffrutescent, erect, up to 1.5 meters high, glabrous or sparingly pilose, the internodes 2 to 9 cm. long; leaf blades oblong-ovate to elliptic, the majority of them 8 to 20 cm. long and 2.5 to 12 cm. wide, acute to acuminate, gradually to abruptly narrowed at base and more or less decurrent on the petiole, sometimes obliquely so, chartaceous, glabrous or essentially so, sometimes bearing a few minute white hairs on the veins, the margins entire or undulate, the costa and lateral veins (10 to 12 pairs) prominent, arcuate, the upper surface nitid, obscurely and rather coarsely reticulate, minutely alveolate, the lower surface somewhat whitish, the reticulations obscure; petioles up to 10 cm. long, glabrous; flowers borne in simple terminal spikes up to 15 cm, long and 3 cm. wide (excluding the corollas), the rachis puberulous, the nodes flattened and slightly excavate; bracts imbricate, oblong-lanceolate, up to 3 cm. long and 1 cm. wide, acuminate, veiny, softly and densely puberulous, the hairs ascending, the margins ciliolate, serrate, the teeth up to 1.5 mm. long; bractlets narrowly lanceolate and slenderly acuminate; calyx about 1 cm. long, the posterior segment oblong, 3 mm. wide, acute, the lateral and anterior pairs linear-lanceolate, 1.5 mm. wide, the 5 segments and bractlets striate-nerved and puberulous, the nerves ending at the base of each segment in a callus about 1 mm. long; corollas 5 to 6 cm. long, red, orange or scarlet, sparingly puberulous, the upper lip oblong-ovate, about 2 cm. long and 1.2 cm. wide above the base, obtusish and entire at apex, the lower lip spreading, the lobes elliptic-ovate, the middle one up to 2.5 cm. long and 1.8 cm. wide, obtuse, the lateral ones similar but only about half as large capsules 1.6 cm, long, sparingly puberulous; seeds hispidulous.
-
Discussion
Aphelandra aurantiaca is a variable species and perhaps consists of a number of races or forms. The Mexican and Central American specimens in the U. S, National Herbarium have as a rule smaller and more slenderly toothed bracts than do the South American plants. The bracts of some of the North American plants are in fact practically pectinate. Red flowers seem to be more prevalent than yellow or orange ones.