47. Aphelandra pulcherrima (Jacq.) H. B. K.
Justicia pulcherrima Jacq. Enum. Pl. Carib. 11. 1762: Stirp. Amer. 6, pl. 2, fig. 4. 1763. Type locality: "Habitat frequens Carthagenae in sylvaticus montis de la Popa." The illustration consists of a leaf and a corolla. Pulcherrima (very beautiful) alludes, no doubt, to the general aspect of the entire plant.
Aphelandra pulcherrima H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 2: 236. 1817. Based on Justicia pulcherrima Jacq. Humboldt cites two collections, one from a shady place near Turbaco and the other from the month of the Río Sinů, both in Colombia. Photograph of the Turbaco plant in the U. S. National Her- barium (Field Mus. photograph No. 8713).
Shrubs or suffrutescent herbs up to 3 meters high; stems erect, spar- ingly branched, obscurely quadrangular toward tip, pubescent to tomentose, the hairs about 0.5 mm. long, straight and more or less spreading or variously curved, whitish, the lower portions of the stems terete, light grayish green, sparingly pubescent to glabrate, the lenti- cels scattered, elliptic, 0.5 to 1 mm. long, corky; leaf blades ovate to oblong-elliptic, 8 to 20 cm. long, 3.5 to 10 cm. wide, short-acuminate (the tip itself blunt and minutely apiculate to acutish), narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, entire, undulate or shallowly crenate, the supper surface drying olive, finely pubescent or glabrate, the hairs curved, less than 0.5 mm. long, subappressed, the costa flat or shal- lowly impressed, the lateral veins (16 to 20 pairs) 3 to 14 mm. apart, slightly raised, the lower surface drying to light green or gray, softly and usually densely pubescent, the hairs up to 1 mm. long, curved to nearly straight, the pubescence usually denser on costa and veins, these prominent, the veinlets finely reticulate; petioles about 5 mm. long, the pubescence similar to that of the costa; spikes solitary or several in a fascicle, quadrangular, terminal, subsessile, up to 10 cm. long and 8 mm. broad, the rachis white-cottony-tomentose; bracts rhombic-ovate, 6 to 7 mm. long, 4.5 to 5 mm. wide at middle, 2 to 3 mm. wide at base, acute at apex, dorsally finely and densely puberulous becoming white-pilose toward base, ventrally glabrous except toward margins, here finely pubescent, obscurely striate-nerved, the costa and a pair of lateral nerves prominent, reticulately veined toward margin; ocelli solitary, in twos, or sometimes several, distinct or more or less fused, conspicuous, orbicular to elliptic, 0.5 to 1 mm. long, about 0.75 mm. wide, dark brown or blackish, nitid; bractlets lanceolate, 7 mm. long, about 2 mm. wide near base, acute at apex, falcate, obliquely subcarinate, puberulous without, glabrous within, finely striate- nerved; calyx about 8 mm. long, the posterior segment oblong, 3 mm. wide, the lateral segments lanceolate, about 2 mm. wide, the middle pair narrowly lanceolate, 1.5 mm. wide, all acute and striate-nerved; corolla bright red or scarlet, minutely puberulous, 5 to 6 cm. long, about 3 mm. broad at base, narrowed to 1.5 mm. at tip of ovary, thence gradually enlarged and slightly ventricose, about 6 mm. broad at mouth, the upper lip erect, ovate, 15 mm. long, 9 mm. wide, 2-lobed, the lobes narrowly triangular, 9 mm. long and 4 mm. wide, slenderly acuminate, the lower lip 3-lobed, erect or spreading with age, the middle lobe linear-oblong, 24 mm. long and 7 mm. wide, abruptly acuminate, the lateral lobes about 3 mm. long and 1 mm. wide, ob- tusish, adnate in part to the upper lip; stamens exserted about 7 mm. beyond the mouth of the corolla tube; ovary and style glabrous; capsules oblong, obtuse at apex, glabrous.
VERNACULAR NAMES: Picigallo (Elias 860), Cresta de Gallo (Elias 705), Pié de Gallo (Bro. Heriberto 415), Pisigallo (Dugand & Jara- millo 4053), Titirigallo (Dugand & Jaramillo 4053).
Partial to damp, shady places, usually in thickets or low marshy re- gions. Found at low altitudes mostly under 900 meters. Mexico to northern South America and in a few West Indian localities.
ATLÁNTICO: Arroyo de Megua, Dugand & Jaramillo 2800 (US). Barranquilla, Bro. Elias 440 (US). Los Pendales, Dugand & Garcia-Barriga 2549 (US); Dugand & Jaramillo 2701 (US). Luruaco, Bro. Apolinar Angel 491 (US). Plojó, vicinity of Barranquilla, Bro. Elias 705 (US). Puerto Colombia, Bro. Elias 860 (US). Tubará, Dugand & Jaramillo 4053 (US). Usiacuri Araque & Barkley 19At.081 (US); Dugand & Garcia-Barriga 2273 (US).
BOLÍVAR: Arjona, Killip & Smith 14516 (NY, US). Caño Papayal, vicinity of Estrella, Lands of Loba, Curran 821 (US). Cartagena, Billberg s. n., Dec. 1825 (8) Billberg, s. n., 1826 (8); Bro. Heriberto 268 (US). Castillo La Popa, vicinity of Cartagena, Araque & Barkley 19Bo.033 (US). La Popa, Billberg 8. n., Dec. 1825 (8). Montería, Bechara, Araque & Barkley 19Bo.218 (US). Sahagún, Pennell 4108 (NY). Turbaco, Bro. Heriberto 415 (NY, US); Killip & Smith 14310 (NY, US).
CUNDINAMARCA: Casas Viejas, Triana s. n., 1851-1857 (NY).
MAGDALENA: Codazzi, Haught 3759 (US). Poponte, Cyril Allen 845 (Mo). META: Villavicencio, Triana s. n. (US).
NORTE DE SANTANDER: La Esmeralda, Killip & Smith 20931 (NY, US). Río Zulla, Araque-Molina, Otátora & Barkley 18NS.066 (US).