Herbs up to 1 meter high; stems subquadrangular, at least the upper portions densely and minutely gray strigose, the hairs about 0.25 mm. long, closely appressed; leaf blades oblong-elliptic or broadly oblong- lanceolate, up to 32 cm. long and 10.6 cm. wide at or slightly above middle, acuminate (the tip often curved), narrowed at base and de- current on the petiole, membranaceous, entire or shallowly crenate, drying olive-green, the lower surface a lighter and a deeper greenish shade than the upper, the upper surface glabrous, minutely alveolate under a lens, the lower surface sparingly hirtellous, the hairs about 275 long, ascending or subappressed and confined chiefly to costa and lateral veins (9 to 11 pairs), these prominent on both surfaces; petioles stout, 2 cm. long, densely gray-hirtellous, the hairs similar to those of the stems; spikes terminal, solitary, subsessile, 9 cm. long, 3.5 cm. broad (measured from tips of bracts), the rachis angled, gla- brous; bracts rather closely imbricate, rhombic-ovate, up to 26 mm. long and 16 mm. wide (the lowermost sterile ones much smaller), sub- acute, glabrous, ciliate near tip, the costa and adjacent nerves prom- inent, the veinlets obscurely and rather coarsely reticulate toward margins, the glandular spots about 3.5 mm. long and 1.5 mm. wide, the ocelli 50 in diameter, very numerous; bractlets linear, 13 mm. long, 2.25 mm. wide, acuminate, striate, sparingly hirtellous dorsally but more so at tip, the hairs ascending, up to 0.5 mm. long; calyx segments subequal, 23.5 mm. long, glabrous or ciliate at tip, coriaceous, striate, the posterior segment narrowly oblong-elliptic, 5 mm. wide, truncate, emarginate and apiculate at tip, the anterior segments linear-lanceolate, 3 mm. wide, acuminate, the lateral segments narrowly lanceolate, 2.5 mm. wide, acuminate; corolla about 6 cm. long, puberulous, the hairs 125 μ long, the tube 6 mm. broad at throat, the upper lip ovate, 23 mm. long, about 12 mm. wide, bilobate at tip, the lobes triangular, 5 mm. long and 3 mm. wide at base, acute, the lower lip spreading or reflexed, the middle lobe narrowly ovate, about 23 mm. long and 8 mm. wide near base, obtuse, the lateral lobes narrowly oval, 1.5 mm. wide, rounded at tip, adnate in part to the upper lip, their free portions 1.5 mm. long; stamens reaching notch of upper lip, the anthers 1 cm. long, acuminate at base, subobtuse at tip, dorsally pilosulous, the filaments triquetrous, glabrous or the angles toward base minutely roughened; Ovary glabrous; mature capsules not seen. Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 1997512, collected in woods at Ensenada de Utría, Department of Chocó, Colombia, June 5, 1950, by A. Fernández (No. 254). Aphelandra fernandezii is a well-marked species characterized by its large, red, rhombic-ovate bracts and narrow calyx segments. As indicated by the nature of the corolla lobes, it is one of the pulcher- rima-tetragona group.