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Family: Acanthaceae
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Suffrutescent plants up to 60 cm. high or more, branched, erect or ascending, the upper portions of the stems hexagonal, the angles narrowly winged, greenish yellow, pilosulous, the hairs straight, spreading, up to 0.5 mm. long, the lower portions of the stems sub- terete, glabrate; leaf blades ovate, up to 5 cm. long and 2.5 cm. wide, acute to obtusish, narrowed at base and briefly decurrent on the petiole, membranous, entire, both surfaces sparingly hirsute, the hairs up to 1 mm. long, spreading or ascending, the costa and lateral veins (4 or 5 pairs) rather prominent, the cystoliths prominent under a lens, up to about 0.25 mm. long, blackish; petioles slender, up to 2 cm. long, glabrous beneath, the channels densely pubescent; flowers borne in axillary and terminal cymes, the uppermost confluent, forming dense spikelike thyrsi up to 3 cm. long and 2 cm. broad, each cymule usually 3-flowered; bracts green, the outer one lanceolate, 13 mm. long, 3.5 mm. wide slightly above middle, acute and cuspidate, the cusp up to 1.5 mm. long, the base narrowed, the margins densely ciliate, the hairs about 1 mm. long, spreading, both surfaces sparingly pilose, the hairs somewhat shorter than the marginal ones, the costa and lateral nerves (1 pair) prominent, the inner bract similar but slightly smaller (10 mm. long and 2.5 mm. wide), the interior bracts lance-subulate, 5 to 7 mm. long, 0.5 to 0.75 mm. wide, costate, pilose and ciliate, the hairs white, spreading, up to 1 mm. long, the margins whitish; calyx 3 mm. long, the segments lance-subulate, subhyaline, hirsutulous, the hairs about 0.25 mm. long, spreading; corollas 15 mm. long, purplish ("rosado-violacea," Pérez-Arbeláez), finely pubescent, the hairs about 0.5 mm. long, spreading or retrorse, the tube 7 mm. long, 1.5 mm. broad near base, narrowed at 5 mm. above base to 1 mm., 2 mm. broad at mouth, the posterior lip ovate, 9 mm. long, 4.5 mm. wide, rounded, the lower lip oblong, 8 mm. long and 3.5 mm. wide, 3-lobed at tip, the lobes about 0.5 mm. long and wide, rounded; capsules 5 mm. long, 2 mm. broad, pilosulous, the hairs about 0.25 mm. long, white, spreading; retinacula subulate, about 1 mm. long; seed black, flattened, about 1.5 mm. long and broad, glabrous or the margins sparingly papillose. Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 1774439, collected between Puracé and Coconuco, Department of Cauca, Colombia, 2,300 to 2,400 meters altitude, July 12, 1939, by E. Pérez-Arbeláez and J. Cuatrecasas (No. 5977). |