Ka'breyeriella rostellata Lindau, Notizbl. 8: 143. 1922. Type collected in shady woods near Plateado, Department of Antioquia, Colombia, 2,300 meters altitude, March 31, 1880, by W. Kalbreyer (No. 1524).
Suffrutescent plants up to 1 meter high; stems erect or ascending, simple or sparingly branched, glabrous to moderately hirtellous, the hairs appressed, ascending or recurved, up to 0.25 mm. long, septate; leaf blades oblong-lanceolate, oblong or oblanceolate, up to 24 cm. long and 10 cm. wide but usually about 10 cm. long and 4.5 cm. wide, short-acuminate, narrowed at base, moderately firm, entire or un- dulate, the upper surface glabrous to moderately pilose with curved ascending red-septate hairs up to 1 mm. long, the costa and lateral veins (9 or 10 pairs) moderately prominent, sometimes red, the lower surface glabrous or the costa and lateral veins hirtellous, the hairs about 0.25 mm. long, mostly curved and ascending, the venation more prominent than above, the cystoliths conspicuous under a lens, mostly straight or slightly curved, up to 225μ long, these often absent on the upper leaf-surface; petioles usually about 2 cm. long but oc- casionally reaching 4 cm., glabrous or sparingly hirtellous; flowers borne in terminal loose peduncled spikes or racemes (spicate toward tip) up to 20 cm. long, the peduncles up to 2 cm. long, these and the rachises glabrous or sparingly or even densely hirtellous, the hairs variously curved, up to 0.25 mm. long, sometimes septate, the lower- most internodes 10 to 15 mm. long, the others successively shorter toward tip of inflorescence, the pedicels of the lowermost flowers. slender, up to 4 mm. long, minutely hirtellous in two lines; bracts lanceolate, the lowermost 5 to 10 mm. long, and 2 to 3 mm. wide, the others becoming smaller towards tip of inflorescence, all acute, glabrous to moderately pilose; bractlets similar to the bracts but somewhat longer; calyx 16 mm. long, 5-parted, deeply segmented, the segments lanceolate, 10 mm. long, 3 mm. wide at middle, acute, thin, minutely and sparingly ciliolate, faintly nerved; corollas a bright showy red, up to 5.5 cm. long, glabrous or sparingly and minutely strigose at tip, this rostrate and recurved before expanding, the tube about 2.5 mm. broad at base, enlarged rather abruptly at 5 mm. above base to 12 mm. at middle, thence reduced to 10 mm. at mouth, the upper lip lanceolate, acute, 13 mm. long, 4 mm. wide at base, erect in expanded flowers, the tip straight or recurved, the lower lip triangular, recurved, 14 mm. wide at base, narrowed to an acute 3-lobed tip, the lobes about 1 mm. long and 0.5 mm. wide; stamens attached near base of corolla tube, about 5 cm. long, exserted 15 mm. beyond mouth of corolla tube and slightly exceeding the upper lip which partially enfolds them, the anthers 5 mm. long and 1 mm. broad at middle, narrowed toward both ends to bluntish tips, both anthers and filaments glabrous; disc 1 mm. long, this and the ovary glabrous; style slightly shorter than the stamens, glabrous; capsules not seen.
There is variation in the amount of pubescence and the size of the leaf blades. The type material is strictly glabrous except the very young leaves. In Ariste-Joseph's No. 1085, the upper surfaces of the leaf blades are conspicuously covered with red-septate hairs; other specimens show the same character to a more or less marked degree. Again, the leaf blades of Ariste-Joseph's material do not exceed 9 cm. in length nor 2.8 cm, in width, whereas those of Cuatre- casas' No. 15160 are as much as 24 cm. long and 9 cm. wide. The type material possesses leaves intermediate between these two extremes. The specific epithet alludes to the acutely tipped unexpanded corollas. The species is endemic in Colombia; it is partial to thick shady forests, usually of the middle altitudes (900 to 1,600 meters), although Haught's No. 4723 was collected as low as 100 meters. Its dark green leaves and brilliant red flowers make it an especially beautiful and conspicuous species.
ANTIOQUIA: Shady woods near Plateado, Kalbreyer 1524 (isotype, K). Low wet forest along the Río Chigorodo, 10 km. northeast of Chigorodo, Haught 4723 (US).
BOYACA: High thick forests in the region of Mount Chapón, Lawrance 234 (US); 367 (K, Mo, NY, S, US); 694 (GH, US).
CALDAS: La Selva, von Sneidern 5293 (US).
CAUCA: Quebrada Aguaclara, near its junction with Río Plateado, Core 1377 (US).
CHOCÓ: Dauro, Toro 1175 (NY).
CUNDINAMARCA: Albán, Guevara-Amórtegui 315 (US). Paime, Ariste-Joseph 1085 (NY, US).
EL VALLE: Chorrera La Elsa in the densely forested valley of Río Digua, Killip 34807 (US); Río Digua Valley between La Elsa and Río Blanco, Killip 34738 bis (US). Woods about La Laguna, on the left bank of Río Sanquininf, Cuatrecasas 15388 (Ch, US). Piedra de Moler, left bank of Río Digua, Cuatre- casas 15160 (US). Quebrada de San Juan, below Queremal, Río Digua Valley, Cuatrecasas 22728 (US).