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Family: Acanthaceae
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Coarse herbs up to 60 cm. high or more; stems subhexagonal, retrorsely puberulous, the lower portions 5.5 mm. or more in diameter; leaf blades oblong-ovate, up to 14 cm. long and 8 cm. wide, acuminate (the tip itself obtuse), narrowed at base, sometimes obliquely so, thin, entire or undulate, both surfaces glabrous except the costa and lateral veins (4 to 6 pairs), these puberulous, the hairs 125 to 200μ long, curved, subappressed, the cystoliths minute, inconspicuous, dark brown, up to 250μ long; petioles slender, up to 6 cm. long or more, puberulous; cymules axillary, peduncled, usually in 3-parted peduncled cymes, these solitary or in pairs, the inflorescence of mature plants forming a loose panicle up to 30 cm. long and 10 cm. broad; peduncles of the cymes up to 15 mm. long from base to fork, above fork up to 1 cm. long (lateral) and 15 mm. long (middle), ascending hexagonal, puberulous with curved hairs; bracts subtending the cyme subulate, up to 4 mm. long and about 0.25 mm. wide at base; bracts subtending the cymules similar in size or one slightly smaller than the other, both broadly ovate, 1.2 to 2 cm. long, 2 to 2.5 cm. wide, obtuse and apiculate at tip, truncate at base, firm, entire, ciliolate with curved hairs, otherwise glabrous or sparingly puberulous near base, the venation prominent, the costa and the 3 or 4 pairs of lateral nerves predominating, the veinlets coarsely and conspicuously reticulate, the intercostal areas if viewed under lens and against light, minutely reticulate; flowers 8 or more, crowded, sessile, the subtending bracts (several pairs) triangular, 1.5 mm. long and wide, acute, ciliate and sparingly hirtellous; calyx thin, whitish, 6 mm. long, subglabrous within, densely puberulous without a mixture of straight stout truncate or gland-tipped hairs 50μ long and longer straight or curved pointed ones up to 200μ long, the calyx segments narrowly triangular, 3 mm. long and 1 mm. wide at base, acuminate; corolla white, 2 cm. long, the lower half glabrous, the upper hirtellous, the hairs spreading, 125 long, the tube 2 mm. broad at base, narrowed at 1 cm. above. base to 1.5 mm., the mouth about 2.5 mm. broad, the upper lip lanceo- late, 14 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, obtuse at tip, the lower lip oblanceolate, about 12 mm. long, 3.5 mm. wide near tip, minutely 3-lobed, the lobes rounded, about 0.5 mm. long and broad; stamens exserted about 6 mm. beyond the mouth of the corolla tube, the anther lobes super- posed, 1.5 mm. long, 0.75 mm. wide, the filaments subglabrous or sparingly hirtellous toward base; ovary sparingly hirtellous at tip, the basal portion enclosed by a striate glabrous minutely lobed coroniform disk 1.25 mm. long and 1 mm. broad; capsules ovate, 1 cm. long, 5 mm. broad, 1.75 mm. thick, acute, puberulous; retinacula 1 mm. long, obliquely acute; seed not seen. Type in the herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden, collected in forest at Boca Antizales, on Río Esmeralda, Department of Bolívar, Colombia, 800 to 1,100 meters altitude, February 26, 1918, by Francis W. Pennell (No. 4499). |
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