Justicia chaponensis Leonard
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Authority
Leonard, Emery C. 1958. The Acanthaceae of Colombia, III. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 31: 323-781.
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Family
Acanthaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 1482402, collected in thick low forest in the region of Mount Chapón, Department of Boyacá, Colombia, "3,500 feet" altitude, May 27, 1932, by A. E. Lawrance (No. 60). Isotype: GH.
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Description
Latin Diagnosis - Herba, caulibus erectis, subquadrangnlaribus, sulcatis, sulcis inconspicuis, puberulis et etiam pilosis, pilis magnis rectis, late patentibus, badiis, et parvis subappressis, curvatis intermixtis; lamina foliorum lanceolato-elliptica, apice acuta, basi angustata et in petiolem breviter decurrens, firma, undulata, supra dense pilosa, pilis ascendentibus, badiis, costa puberula et etiam longe pilosa, subtus pilosa, marginibus ciliata, costa et venis utrinque prominentibus, cystolithis obscuris vel nullis; petioli aliquanto crassi, pilosi; spicae plures, axillares vel terminals, erectae vel ascendentos, floribus densis et secundis, pedunculis brevibus, rhachibus puberulis et etiam longe pilosis, pilis longis, patulis, badiis; bracteae quadrifariae, dorsales steriles, ventrales flores subtendentes; bracteae steriles lineares, pilosao, pilis longis, fere in marginc positis, badiis; bracteae flores subtendentes late elliptico-obovatae, cuspidatae, firmae, parce pilosae et dense ciliatae, pilis plus minusve patulis, badiis; bracteolae anguste lineares, dense ciliatae, pilis longis patulis, badiis; calycis segmenta 5, lanceolata, acuminata, parce hirtella et ciliata, pilis ascendentibus, costa obscura; corollae desunt; capsulae clavatae, basi glabrae, apice hirtellae, pilis patulis vel retrorse appressis.
Description - Herbs up to 1.6 meters high; stems erect, subquadrangular, inconspicuously sulcate, both puberulous and pilose, the longer hairs mostly spreading, straight, up to 2.25 mm. long, septate but not conspicuously so, the smaller hairs recurved and subappressed, up to 0.28 mm. long; leaf blades lance-elliptic, up to 18 cm. long and 6 cm. wide, acute at tip, narrowed at base and briefly decurrent on the petiole, firm, undulate, the upper surface rather densely pilose, the hairs ascending, similar to those of the stem as are also the additional small curved hairs of the costa, the pubescence of the lower surface similar to that of the upper except for the absence of the small curved hairs on the costa, the margins ciliate, the venation of both surfaces (lateral veins 9 to 10 pairs) rather prominent, the veinlets coarsely reticulate but not conspicuously so, the cystoliths minute and obscure, sometimes lacking; petioles up to 1.5 cm. long, pilose; spikes axillary, several pairs produced at each node, up to 12 cm. long and about 1 cm. broad, the flowers secund, rather crowded, erect or ascending; peduncles up to 1 cm. long, pilose; radius both pilose with long spreading hairs and puberulous with short curved subappressed ones; dorsal bracts sterile, linear, pilose, the hairs up to 3.25 mm. long, mostly marginal, more or less spreading, brown; ventral bracts broadly ellip-tic obovate, long-cuspidate, 12 mm. long, 4 mm. wide, acuminate, rather firm, sparingly pilose and densely ciliate, the hairs more or less spreading, reddish brown, up to 3.25 mm. long; bractlets narrowly linear, 8 or 9 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, rather densely ciliate, the hairs similar to those of the bracts; calyx 5 mm. long, deeply segmented, the segments 5, lanceolate, 3.5 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide near base, gradually narrowed to a slender tip, sparingly hirtellous and ciliate, the hairs ascending, up to 0.48 mm. long, the costa evident but rather obscure; corolla, not seen; capsules clavate, about 10 mm. long, 3 mm. broad and 2 mm. thick, glabrous toward base, sparingly hirtellous toward tip, the hairs spreading or retrorse and subappressed, up to 0.2 mm. long; retinacula 1.5 mm. long, obtuse and more or less fimbriate at tip; seeds not seen.
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Discussion
Justicia chaponensis is closely related to and resembles in some respects J. hyperdasya and J. pampolystachys. The leaf blades of these species are more of an ovate shape and the bracts subtending the flowers are larger, elliptic or suborbicular in shape, and obtuse and apiculate at the tip. No corollas could be found on either of the two sheets cited, but according to the label notes they were mauve with purple stripes. They are probably small in size and somewhat similar to those of the two related species,