Shrub or small tree; branches sprawling, terete, glabrous or the tips sparingly strigose, the hairs closely appressed, sordid, less than 0.5 mm. long, the older portions of the stems gray, the lenticels scat- tered, corky, about 1 mm. long, inconspicuous; leaves reflexed, the blades oblong to lance-oblong, 7 to 19 cm. long, 1.8 to 5 cm. wide, acumi- nate, the tip more or less curved, cuneate at base, membranaceous to subcoriaceous, entire, the upper surface drying brown or olive-green, essentially glabrous, a few small subappressed hairs sometimes found on the basal part of the costa, this and the lateral veins (10 to 14 pairs) flat or slightly raised, inconspicuous, the lower surface drying a some- what lighter shade than the upper, glabrous or very sparingly stri- gose, the hairs confined chiefly to costa and lateral veins, these rather prominent; petioles rather slender, up to 1 cm. long, glabrous or sparingly and minutely strigose; flowers borne in terminal panicles of small spikes 2 to 6 cm. long and 5 to 8 mm. broad, the panicles up to 10 cm. long and 8 cm. broad, the peduncles up to 4 cm. long, slender, sparingly and minutely strigose, or the ultimate peduncles densely hirsute, the hairs more or less spreading, all sordid, the rachis white- cottony-tomentose; bracts red, drying reddish brown, rhombic-ovate, 5 to 6 mm. long, 4 to 5 mm. wide, acute to acutish, white-cottony- tomentose at base, otherwise essentially glaborous except the lower- most, these strigose dorsally, the hairs about 0.5 mm. long, the margins ciliolate toward base, the costa and nerves prominent below middle; ocelli one to several or sometimes lacking, minute, elliptic, up to 0.5 mm. Jong, brown, nitid; bractlets red, drying reddish brown, obliquely lanceolate, 4.5 to 6 mm. long, 1 to 2 mm. wide, acuminate, carinate, ciliolate, dorsally white-tomentose, striate-nerved; calyx 5.5 to 8 mm.  long, the posterior segment narrowly ovate, 2.5 to 3.5 mm. wide, the anterior pair lanceolate, 1.5 to about 2 mm. wide, the lateral pair nar- rowly lanceolate, 1 to 1.5 mm. wide, all obtuse to obtusish (the lateral pair apiculate), glabrous, ciliolate toward apex, striate-nerved; co- rollas 4 cm. long from base to tip of upper lip, red, papillose, some of the papillae tipped by minute hairs, the tube slightly curved and sub- ventricose, 3.5 mm. broad at base, narrowed to 1.5 mm. at 5 mm. above base, thence enlarged to about 6 mm. at mouth, the upper lip erect, narrowly ovate, 12 mm. long, 2-lobed at apex, the lobes narrowly tri- angular, 3.5 mm. long, about 2 mm. wide, acuminate, the tip curved, the middle lobe of the lower lip lanceolate, spreading, acuminate, the slender tip recurved, the lateral lobes adnate to the basal part of the upper lip, their free portions triangular, barely 0.5 mm. long; stamens reaching the tip of the upper lip, the anthers 4 mm. long, 0.5 mm, wide, minutely apiculate at base; ovary glabrous; capsules not seen.
Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 1850296, collected in the basin of the Río Margua, between Campohermoso and Río Negro, vicinity of Sarare, Department of Norte de Santander, 1,200 to 1,500 meters altitude, November 8, 1941, by J. Cuatrecasas (No. 12883). Cuatrecasas, Schultes, & E. Smith's No. 12516 (Col, US, fragment No. 63419), collected in woods between El Alto del Loro and Alto de Santa Inés, vicinity of Sarare, 1,800 to 2,200 meters altitude, October 18 to 21, 1941, is also of this species.
Aphelandra parvispica is another species of the A. pulcherrima complex. Its outstanding characters are its rather small, almost glabrous, reflexed leaf blades, its panicles of relatively small spikes, and its minute, inconspicuous ocelli. Its nearest relative is, perhaps, A. macrophylla.