Herbs up to 60 cm. high, erect or ascending, stems subquadrangular, hirsute in two lines, the hairs retrorsely curved, up to 0.48 mm. long; leaf blades ovate to lanceolate, up to 9 cm. long and 2.5 cm. wide, acute to short-acuminate (the tip itself obtuse), rounded or acute at base, moderately firm, entire or undulate, the upper surface glabrous, the lower moderately hirtellous with curved hairs up to 0.16 mm. long, the cystoliths usually scattered and obscure, the venation scarcely prominent (lateral veins 4 or 5 pairs) but more so beneath than above; petioles 3 to 10 cm. long, hirtellous with curved hairs; spikes terminal and lateral, 2 to 5 cm. long, 8 to 10 mm. broad, the bracts imbricate and quadrifarious, the peduncles about 5 mm. long, rather densely hirtellous with curved hairs, the rachis hirtellous with hairs 0.2 mm. long; bracts imbricate, green, and ovate, about 10 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, subacute, obtuse at base, the upper surface glabrous, the lower moderately puberulous with curved hairs about 0.1 mm. long, the margins ciliate with straight or curved hairs up to 0.76 mm. long, the costa, lateral veins (5 pairs), and coarsely reticulated veinlets prominent, especially on the upper surface where not obscured by the pubes- cence; bractlets green, oblong-lanceolate, 8 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, acute at both ends, the pubescence and venation that of the bracts; calyx 5 mm. long, the posterior segment subulate, about half as long as the other 4, the calyx tube glabrous, triangular in cross section, the angles narrowly winged, the segments narrowly lanceolate, subhyaline, moderately hirtellous and ciliolate, the hairs up to 0.25 mm. long, the costa prominent; corolla delicate, white, 12 mm. long, glabrous below, the upper portion sparingly hirtellous with hairs about 0.8 mm. long, the tube 1.5 mm. broad at base, 1.75 mm. broad at 2 mm. above base, narrowed 1 mm. at middle, the throat 2 mm. broad, the lips subequal, 4 mm. long, the upper lip erect, oblong, 0.75 min. wide, acute, the lower lip more or less spreading, cuneiform, 3 mm. wide near base of lobes, the lobes about 3 mm. long, the middle one about 2 mm. wide, the lateral ones 1 mm. wide, all rounded; stamens exserted 2.5 mm. beyond the mouth of the corolla tube, the filaments slender, subhya- line, the anther cells obliquely attached to a flattened connective about 0.25 mm. wide, the upper cell 0.75 mm. long, the lower slightly shorter, both glabrous, the pistil equalling the stamens, slender and glabrous; ovary glabrous.
Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 2057245, collected at Soratama, on the Río Apaporis between the Ríos Kananarí and Pacoa, Intendencia of Amazonas, Colombia, 250 meters altitude, December 15-19, 1951, by H. García-Barriga (No. 14096).
García-Barriga's 13653 (Col), collected at Lagunas del Churuco, on the Río Apaporis, Amazonas Vaupés, Colombia, 280 meters altitude, November 22, 1951, is also of this species.
Justicia neurochlamys resembles and is probably very closely related to J. chlorostachya Leonard. However, the former can be readily recognized by the delicate white corollas and by the puberulous upper surface of the bracts. The corollas of J. chlorostachya are pink or pale violet and the bracts are essentially glabrous on both surfaces. The specific epithet is from the Greek, vcupov, nerve, and xλaubs, bract