Wasshausen, D. 1975, The Genus Aphelandra (Acanthaceae), Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, Number 18. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. Page 15

1. Aphelandra runcinata Klotzsch ex Nees
FIGURE 32
Aphelandra runcinata Klotzsch ex Nees, in de Candolle,
Prodr. 11:302. 1847.-Leonard. Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb.
31:134. 1953.
Aphelandra runcinata var. straminea Leonard, Contrib. U.S.
Nat. Herb. 313135. 1953.
Aphelandra runcinata var. pilosa Leonard, Contrih. U.S. Nat.
Herb. 31:135. 1953.
Aphelandra porphyrolepis Leonard, Contrib. LJ.S. Nat. Herb.
31:148. 1953.16
Shrubs to 4 m high; stems glabrous or nearly so,
occasionally tomentulose toward tip, fleshy; leaf
blades obovate to oblong-obovate or lanceolate, to
30 cm long and 10 cm wide, acuminate, cuneate
at base, chartaceous, the margins moderately to
rather deeply pinnatifid or incised, occasionally
the upper leaves merely irregularly toothed, the ex-
current nerves terminating in sharp spines 1-5 mm
long, the upper surface drying olive green, nitid,
glabrous or sparingly floccose, the hairs confined
chiefly to the costa and lateral veins (10-30 pairs),
the lower surface drying dull green or brown, gla-
brous to pilose, or sometimes the costa and veins
sparingly floccose, these more prominent beneath
than above; petioles to 2 cm long, glabrous or
sparingly floccose; interpetiolar bracts triangular,
retrorse, to 5 mm long, 1- to 5-nerved, the nerves
excurrent, ending in sharp, straight spines 1-4 mm
long; flowers usually numerous and crowded, borne
i n a simple terminal spike or in both terminal and
lateral spikes, these forming a rather large pyra-
midal crowded o r sometimes loose terminal panicu-
late inflorescence to 20 cm long and broad, the
peduncles and rachises glabrous or floccose; bracts
triangular, 7-9 mm long, 5 mm wide, glabrous,
purplish red, ciliolate, obscurely nerved, the costa
excurrent, ending i n a small spine about 0.5 mm
long; bractlets lanceolate, 5-6 mm long, 2.5 mm
wide, acuminate, purplish red, ciliolate; calyx seg
ments oblong, about 9 mm long, 2.5-3.5 mm wide,
obtuse to acute, mucronulate, glabrous, entire to
erose or erose-dentate near tip, the apical portion
more or less ciliate with glandular or eglandular
cilia o r both; corolla red, rarely orange or straw-
colored, glabrous, 3.5-4 cm long, the tube subcylin-
dric, 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
oblongovate, 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 punc-
tate; seeds flat, obliquely oblong, 5 mm long, 3.5
mm broad, 1.5 mm thick, brown, minutely
roughened.
TYPE.-Moritz s.n. (syntype B, destroyed, isosyn-
SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS T O BOTANY
type BM), Venezuela, Merida, on river bank i n a
shady cinchona plantation, December.
DrsTRrBUTION.-Wooded
mountain slopes from
2000 to 3000 m alt. Colombia and Venezuela.
VENEZUELA. MERIDA: 5500 m alt, 1846, Funck 917.
Schlim 944 (P); Tabay, 2200-2300 m alt, 2 Sep
1930, Gehriger 402 (US, VEN); above “La Isla”,
above Tabay, 2285-2745 m alt, 18 May 1944, Steyer-
mark 56609 (US); La Mucuy, on the slopes of
the Sierra Nevada near Merida, 2300-2800 m alt,
18 Jan 1958, C. Earle Smith, Jr. 3503 (PH, US); La
Mucuy, 2600 m alt, ,4ug 1958, Aristeguieta 3323
(VEN); Jan 1963, Aristeguieta 4921 (VEN); La
Mucuy near Tabay, Sierra Nevada, 6 Aug 1958,
Dennis 21 81 ( K ) . TACHIRA: Highway Rubio-Las
Delicias, 15 km above Diamante, 2 km above Mata-
mulas, 2000 m alt, 4 Oct 1967, Bunting 2470 (US).
COLOMBIA. SANTANDER:
Vicinity of Las Vegas,
2600-3000 m alt 21-23 Dec 1926, Killip G Smith
16138 (NY, US); western slopes of Mount PeAa
Blanca, near Charta, 2500-2600 m alt, 11 Feb. 1927,
Killip G Smith 19262 (NY, US), CUNDINAMARCA:
Dintel, between Facatativa and La Vega, 2300-
2700 m alt, 4 Jun 1939, Pe‘rez-Arbelaez G Cuatre-
casas 5320 (US); San Cayetano, Hacienda Portugal,
El Cape, 2520 m alt, 25 Aug 1966, van der Hammen
1605 (COL); rocky massif E of Santandercito, 2000
m alt, June 1915, Uribe 2115 (US); Lagunaseca or
Laguna de Catarnica, SE of Santandercito, 2100 m,
16 Apr 1961, Uribe 3695 (COL); below Salto de
Tequendama, mountain below Santibar, 2100-2200
m alt, 5 Dec 1965, Uribe 5487 (COL); collected
along the Subata-San Francisco road, 2000 m alt,
26 Aug 1947, Haught 6108 (US, holotype of A .
runcinatu Klotzsch var. straminea Leonard);
Bogota, Purdie s.n. (K). TOLIMA: Quindio, Chus-
quea (bamboo) pasture, Goudot s.n. (K). ANTIO-
QUIA. Camino Real Antiguo to Boqueron de
Medellin, 2500 m alt, 2 Jun 1948, Barkley, Correa,
S- Posada 101 (US); La Ceja, Dec 1939, Bro. Daniel
2172 (US); La Sierra, near Medellin, 2000 m alt,
26 Dec 1930, Archer 1093 (US); Alto de Santa
Elena, Medellin, 2500 m alt, Dec 1948, Uribe 1857
(US); Medellin, on “El B o q u e o h ” , highway to the
sea, 2500 m alt, 19 Jan 1952, Uribe 2274 (COL);
Medellin, 2100 m alt, Sandeman 5711 (COL, K);
along road from Medellin to Rionegro, 2000 m alt,
17 Nov 1948, Killip, Barkley, G Bro. Daniel 39837
(US, holotype of A . rzincinata Klotzsch var. fiilosa
Leonard); summit of Santa Elena, between Medel-NUMBER 18
lin and Rionegro, 2500 m alt, 1 Apr 1949, Barkley,
Araque, (?. Gomez 424 (US); 30 Oct 1946, Gu-
tie‘rrez 1146 (MEDEL, US); 25 Apr 1948, Nova1 C!T
Barkley 18C484 (US); San Pedro, 28 Apr 1940,
Bro. Tomas 770 (US); Sonson, 2200-2600 m alt,
Dec 1891, Lehmann 7574 (K); Quebrada Naranjal,
tributary of the Rio Aures, Cordillera Central,
2740 m alt, 26-28 May 1944, Ewan 15732 (US);
Las Palmas, 2200 m alt, Bro. Daniel 4024 (US);
San Cristobal to San Jeronimo, 2000-4000 m alt,
Lehmann 7846 (K); 1880, Kalbreyer 1555 (K);
Jervise s.n. (K); May 1973, Patin s.n. (K). CALDAS:
Caldas, 1750 m alt, 5 Ju1 1918, Dawe 766 (K, NY,
US); Manizales, 2400 m alt, Triana 2372 (P, US,
W ) , Manizales, 2200 m alt, Triana 4071 (K).
VALLE: R i o Bravo, N W of Darien, 1380 m alt,
steep thick woodlands near stream, 26 Ju1 1962.
Robinson 120 (K); Cali, Quebrado del Cabuyal,
1844, Goudot s.n. (P); Mount El Tabor, above Las
Brisas, 1970-2100 m alt, 19 Oct 1946, Cuatrecasas
22283 (US, holotype of A . porphyrolepis Leonard,
isotype. K. WITHOUT EXACT LOCALITY. Triana
231 (K); Purdie s.n. (K).
Aphelandra runcinata is easily recognized by the
runciniate bracts at the base of the petiole. T h e
species is an attractive shrub growing in dense
woods. According to Leonard (1953:134), the leaf
blades vary greatly, with some merely irregularly
toothed and others from moderately to rather deep-
ly pinnatified or incised. T h e pubescence of the leaf
blades also varies considerably, from glabrous to
sparingly floccose to densely pilose