Aphelandra impressa Lindau, Bull. Herb. Boiss. 5: 657. 1897. Type collected near San Cristóbal, Mérida, Venezuela, 950 meters altitude, by Funck Schlim (No. 1244). The name impressa alludes to the pitlike impressions found on the dorsal surface of the bracts in which the glandular dots are imbedded.
Stems terete, the lower portions glabrous, the upper parts more or less puberulous, the hairs about 0.25 mm. long, straight or curved, up- wardly appressed; leaf blades oblong-elliptic, 9 to 28 cm. long (in- cluding the winged petiole), 2.5 to 6 cm. wide, acuminate and more or less falcate at tip (the tip itself blunt), gradually narrowed from about the middle into a winged petiole, the margins entire or shallowly crenate, both surfaces sparingly and inconspicuously pubescent, the hairs about 0.25 mm. long, appressed, more numerous on the costa and veins (10 to 13 pairs), these rather prominent; petioles (unwinged portion) 5 to 15 mm. long, minutely and often densely strigose; spikes solitary or in 3's, terminal, 8 to 10 cm. long and 2 cm. broad (excluding corollas and tips of bracts), the rachis densely brown puberulous; bracts closely imbricate, subrhombic, acuminate, often slenderly so and the tips spreading or recurved, both surfaces minutely brown puberu- lous, the teeth 8 to 10 on each side, these slender, ending in spines, 1.5 to 4.5 mm. long, the glandular area on either side of the midrib deeply impressed dorsally, the pit about 1.5 mm. long and 1 mm. broad; bractlets subulate, 8 mm. long and 1 mm. wide near the base, curved, carinate, minutely pubescent dorsally; calyx puberulous toward tip, 10 mm. long, the segments lanceolate, the posterior segment acuminate, 2.5 mm. wide, the others ending in a spinelike tip, 1.5 mm, wide near base; corolla purple or red, minutely pubescent, 5.5 to 6 cm. long, the tube 2.5 mm. broad at base, 5 to 7 mm. broad at mouth, the upper lip ovate, about 13 mm. long, 9 mm. wide, acuminate, entire, the lower lip 3-lobed nearly to base, the lobes oblong-elliptic, acuminate, the middle lobe 15 mm. long and 4.5 mm. wide, the lateral lobes 12 mm. long and 3.5 mm. wide; stamens exserted beyond the mouth of the corolla tube but not exceeding the upper lip, the filaments 3.3 to 4 cm. long, pubescent toward base, the anthers 5.5 mm. long and 0.5 mm. broad; style 4 to 5 mm. long; ovary glabrous; capsule not seen.
According to Cuatrecasas the plants of this species are shrubby, much branched, bear red (rojo vivo) corollas, have purple bracts and blossom chiefly in November and December. They occur usually be- tween the altitudes of 240 and 1,240 meters. Found also in Venezuela and Brazil.
META: Between Villavicencio and Bogotá, Sprague s.n. (K). Guapayita, Cor- dillera La Macarena, Idrobo & Schultes 840 (US).
NORTE DE SANTANDER: Río Margua valley, between Junín and Córdoba, Cuatrecasas 13374 (Ch, US).
PUTUMAYO: Quebrada de Sipenae, left side of the Río San Miguel. Cuatrecasas 11007 (Ch, US).
VAUPÉS: Along the Río Guaviare, at San José del Guaviare, Cuatrecasas 7458 (US).