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Family: Acanthaceae
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Herbs up to 50 cm. high, branched and more or less spreading; stems subquadrangular, faintly sulcate (sulci green), rather densely puberulous, the hairs variously curved, up to 0.35 mm. long, white, the cystoliths parallel and, if not concealed by the hairs, conspicuous; leaf blades ovate, up to 4 cm. long and 2.3 cm. wide, gradually nar- rowed from near base to an acute or subobtuse tip, obtuse or rounded at base and briefly decurrent on the petiole, moderately firm, undulate, drying green, the upper surface glabrous or sparingly hirsute (the hairs ascending, up to 0.5 mm. long) except the costa and lateral veins (4 or 5 pairs), these moderately hirsute, the lower surface similar to the upper except slightly more hirsute, the venation of both surfaces moderately conspicuous, the cystoliths prominent, up to 0.2 mm. long; petioles slender, up to 4 mm. long, hirsute; flowers sessile in the axils of the leaves or borne in small axillary spikes up to 1 cm. long, the peduncles up to 2 mm. long, slender and like the rachis puberulous; bracts subulate, up to 2.5 mm. long and 0.5 mm. wide at base, the outer surface puberulous, the inner glabrous; bractlets similar but smaller; calyx deeply segmented, the segments 5, subulate, 4 large and one small, the larger ones 3.5 to 4 mm. long and 0.5 mm. wide at base, the small one 1 mm. long and 0.2 mm. wide at base, all gradually narrowed to a slender tip and puberulous; corolla 12 mm. long, rosy, puberulous, the hairs mostly spreading, up to 0.2 mm. long, the corolla tube slender, tubular, 0.75 mm. in diameter, abruptly expanded at base to 2.5 mm., the lips ovate, about 4 mm. long, probably about 1.25 mm. wide, rounded at tip; stamens barely exserted, about 3 mm. long, glabrous, the anther lobes slightly superposed, one 1.25 mm. long, the other, 0.75 mm. long, both blunt at base; capsules clavate, up to 9 mm. long, 2.5 mm. broad and about 0.75 mm. thick, rather densely puberulous, the hairs spreading or, towards base of the capsule, retrorsely ascending, up to 0.17 mm. long; retinacula about 1 mm. long, broadly cucullate, rounded at tip; seeds suborbicular, flattened, muricate. Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 703897, collected in dry forest 3 to 5 miles north of Bonda, Santa Marta Mountains, Depart- ment of Magdalena, Colombia, 100 to 300 feet altitude, November 29, 1898, by Herbert H. Smith (No. 1358). Isotypes: PH, NY, S. One specimen of the type number was collected June 6 (NY), presumably in the vicinity of Bonda. Justicia rhodoides resembles and is probably very closely related to the West Indian J. sessilis Jacq. That species has, however, sparingly glandular puberulous or essentially glabrous capsules and the calyx segments, usually 4 in number, are much less puberulous, becoming, in fact, glabrate at maturity. Smith states that this plant was common in the locality where he collected it, but not in good flowering condition at the time. His specimen collected in June bears several corollas, but unfortunately these were ruined in the process of gluing, rendering dissection im- possible; consequently, the corolla lobes and lips could not be de- scribed. The specific epithet is from the Greek word poooons, meaning rosy, in allusion to the color of the flowers. |