Aphelandra nuda Nees

Aphelandra nuda Nees

Aphelandra nuda Nees in Martius, Fl. Bras. 9:89. 1847; in de Candolle, Prodr. 11:301. 1847.

Large, showy, shrubby plant; stems subscandent, terete, branching, glabrous, the internodes 5.5–11 cm long; leaf blades glabrous, oblong to narrowly ovate, 13–15 cm long, 4.5–5 cm wide, acute to acuminate, narrowed and acute at base, citron green, firm, shining, the margins undulate, the costa and lateral veins inconspicuous, the midrib conspicuous, protruding, lateral veins numerous, branching, reticulate; petioles 1–2 cm long, canaliculate, glabrous; flowers borne in 1 or 2 terminal, secund peduncled spikes, these 20–30 cm long, 1 cm wide (without corollas), the flowers distant, lax, the peduncle 9–12 cm long, subquadrangular, glabrous to sparingly puberulous, the rachis puberulous; bracts minute, ovate, 3 mm long, 2 mm wide at base, striate-nerved, acuminate, truncate at base, puberulous and muricate without, the margins entire; bractlets ovate, 2.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, acute, striate-nerved, puberulous and muricate without; calyx 6 mm long, the segments lanceolateovate, striate-nerved, acuminate, puberulous and muricate without, the margins ciliolate, the posterior segment 2 mm wide near base, the anterior pair 1.5 mm wide, the lateral pair 1.25 mm wide; corolla red, about 6 cm long, puberulous, the tube oblique, cylindric, 4.5 cm long, 3 mm wide at base, then narrowed to 1.75 mm at 13 mm above base, thence gradually enlarged to 6.5 mm wide at mouth, the upper lip erect, oblong-lanceolate, 14 mm long and 8 mm wide, bifid, the lobes 1 mm long and 2 mm wide, obtuse, the lower lip 3-lobed, subequal, the middle lobe oblong, 15 mm long, 6 mm wide, retuse, the lateral lobes oblong, 12 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, obtuse; anthers 6 mm long, apiculate, dorsally pubescent; filaments epipetalous low in the corolla tube, glabrous; ovary 4 mm long, drying black, glabrous; mature capsule not seen.

TYPE.—Gardner 1111 (holotype W, isotypes G, K, F photo 26545, P), Brazil, Pernambuco, Recife (Pernambuco), 1837.

DISTRIBUTION.—Verified only from the typelocality. Nees (1847a) states that this species was also collected in Serra do Orgãos, Rio de Janeiro. To date, no specimens of this species have been reported from that second locality.