Herbs up to 40 cm. high; stems mostly simple, ascending, subquad- rangular, minutely hirtellous, the hairs ascending, upwardly curved, up to 0.5 mm. long, the internodes up to 2 cm. long; leaves numerous, erect or ascending, the blades narrowly lanceolate, up to 12 cm. long and 21 mm. wide (the tip itself blunt), narrowed and decurrent on the petiole, submembranaceous, undulate, both surfaces sparingly hirtel- lous or the costa and lateral veins of the lower surface rather densely so, the hairs subappressed, up to 0.5 mm. long, the venation moderately prominent; petioles slender, up to 3 cm. long, hirtellous, the hairs ascending or appressed, about 0.5 mm. long; spikes solitary, terminal, subsessile, about 6 cm. long and 1.5 cm. broad, the rachis sparingly pubescent, the hairs spreading, about 0.5 mm. long; bracts imbricate, ascending, lanceolate, 13 mm. long, 7 mm. wide above the middle, the pubescence of the outer surface a mixture of minute spreading hairs 250 to 370 μ long and larger ascending ones averaging 625 μ in length, the inner surface merely puberulous and glabrous toward base, the venation of both surfaces prominent, the veinlets coarsely reticulate towards margins, ending in slender spinose teeth (usually 8 pairs), these ascending, up to 3 mm. long, sparingly puberulous; ocelli mi- nute, elliptic, about 125 long, aggregated in a veinless depressed area about 0.75 mm. in diameter, irregularly margined and located near the base of the third tooth from the tip on either side of the bract; bractlets lanceolate, 9 mm. long and 1.5 mm, wide near base, slenderly acuminate, subhyaline, finely striate, the dorsal region sparingly hir- tellous, the hairs ascending, about 0.5 mm. long, the costa ending at base in a swollen callus; calyx segments lanceolate, subhyaline and finely striate but thickened and smooth at base, hirtellous and ciliate at tip, the hairs ascending, up to 625 μ long, the posterior segment 11 mm. long, 2.25 mm. wide at 3 mm. above the base, obtuse at apex, ending in a mucro 1.5 mm. long, the anterior segments 13 mm. long and 1.5 mm. wide near base, slenderly acuminate, the lateral segments 12 mm. long, 1.25 mm. wide near base, slenderly acuminate; corolla 5 cm. long, a vivid scarlet (André), sparingly and finely pilosulous toward tip, the hairs about 0.6 mm. long, spreading, the tube slightly curved, 2 mm. broad at base, 1.5 mm. broad at 5 mm. above base, 6 mm. broad at mouth, the upper lip ovate, about 17 mm. long and 12 mm. wide, acute, the lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes oblanceolate, the middle lobe 12 mm. long, 5.5 mm. wide, subacute, the lateral lobes similar but slightly smaller; stamens slightly exserted beyond mouth of corolla tube, the anthers lying in the concavity of the upper lip; ovary glabrous; mature capsules not seen. Type in the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, col- lected on the "Llanos" in the vicinity of Salitre, Department of Boyacá, Colombia, 408 meters altitude, January 10, 1876, by E. F. André (No. 1055).
Idrobo & Schultes' No. 1207, collected on the Sabanas de San Juan de Arama, Intendencia of Meta, 500 meters altitude, January 22, 1951, is also of this species. Aphelandra lamprantha is closely related to A. impressa, agreeing in the acuminate pectinate bracts, these bearing an impressed area covered by numerous minute ocelli. If the two species are compared, however, differences are readily apparent. Aphelandra lamprantha is much smaller and herbaceous with leaf blades not exceeding 21 mm. in width, the stems are hirtellous with ascending hairs, and the bracts lanceolate, ascending and straight rather than rhombic and recurved. Aphelandra impressa is shrubby, probably reaching a meter in height, the stems are puberulous at tips with upwardly appressed hairs and the leaf blades oblong-elliptic, reaching as much as 6 cm. in width. The specific epithet is from the Greek λaumpós, bright or radiant, and avtos, flower, in allusion to the brilliant scarlet blossoms.