Shrubs; stems glabrous, subterete, their tips puberulous, the hairs more or less appressed, up to 0.25 mm. long; leaf blades oblong- elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, up to 9 cm. long and 3 cm. wide, acute or subacute, rounded or obtuse at base, glabrous, nitid above, coria- ceous, the margins serrate-dentate, the teeth triangular, 2 to 5 mm. high, terminating in sharp spines up to 3 mm. long, the costa and lateral veins (8 to 10 pairs) prominent beneath, obscure above; petioles up to 3 mm. long, glabrous or sparingly puberulous, the hairs similar to those of the stems; interpetiolar bracts small, rhombic or suborbicular, up to 2 mm. long and 1.5 mm. wide, tipped by a spine about 1.25 mm. long, sometimes bearing a pair of lateral spines about 0.5 mm. long; flowers borne in terminal spikes up to 3.5 cm. long and 1.5 cm. broad (the corollas excluded), sessile, the rachis densely puberulous, the hairs similar to those of the stems, the lower- most internode up to 8 mm. long, the others successively shorter toward the tip of the spike; bracts resembling the leaf blades but

smaller, the lowermost about 3 cm. long and 10 mm. wide, the other successively smaller toward tip of spike; bractlets lanceolate, up to 9 mm. long and 1.5 mm. wide near the base, slenderly acuminate, terminating in a spine about 1.5 mm. long, glabrous or sparingly puberulous, except the margins, these ciliate, the hairs more or less spreading, up to 0.5 mm. long; calyx segments lanceolate, 9 mm. long, 3 mm. wide near base, acuminate, terminated by a sharp spine about 0.5 to 1 mm. long, glabrous or bearing a few minute dorsal hairs, the margins densely ciliate, the hairs more or less spreading, about 0.5 mm. long, the costa prominent, the lateral nerves numerous and rather prominent; corolla 4 cm. long, rather densely pubescent, the hairs spreading, up to 0.25 mm. long, the corolla tube 3 mm. broad at base, enlarged to 4 mm. just above the base, then narrowed to 3 mm. at 1 cm. above base, thence enlarged to 7.5 mm. at throat, the upper lip becoming erect, linear, about 1 cm. long, 3 mm. wide, bilobed at tip, the lobes oblong, about 3 mm. long and 1.5 mm. wide, rounded and emarginate at tip, the lower lip divided to base into 3 suborbicular lobes, these 4 mm. long and 3.5 mm. wide, rounded; stamens reaching the throat of the corolla, the anthers 4.5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. broad, glabrous, the filaments minutely pilose at base, glabrous above; style 3.5 cm. long, glabrous, the stigma cupular and fimbriate; ovary glabrous; capsules not seen.

Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 2045423, collected on the Finca Las Mercedes, near Silvia, Department of Cauca, Colombia, 3,300 meters altitude, 1943, by J. S. Granger and C. Rodriguez-A. (No. 10). Isotype: US.

Aphelandra grangeri is related to A. euopla, which it closely re- sembles, but from which it can, however, be readily separated by its strongly ciliated calyx segments and bractlets. In A. euopla these are at most only very sparingly ciliate. The color of the corolla is not apparent in the dried material.