Aphelandra laxa Durkee

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Acanthaceae > Aphelandra

Characteristics

Shrub to 1.5 m tall; younger stem quadrangular, glabrous. Leaves ovate-elliptical, to 35 cm long, 18.5 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally attenuate, glabrous above and beneath, drying dark green above, lighter green beneath, the margins entire to undulate; petioles to 3 cm long, glabrous. Inflorescences of lax terminal, sessile spikes to 18 cm long, 5-10 mm wide excluding corollas, the rachis subquadrangular, 2 mm broad, glabrous, considerably exposed by widely spaced bracts at intervals of 1.5-2.0 cm, the bracts rhombic-ovate, to 8 mm long, 6 mm wide, apically acute, with 2, dull, alveolate, submarginal glandular areas on the lower half of the bract, 2 mm long, 0.75 mm wide, glabrous, minutely ciliolate; bracteoles ovate, keeled, to 7 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, apically acute, glabrous. Flowers with the calyx segments conspicuously longer than the bracts, linear subulate, the segments to 11 mm long, apically acute, apiculate, striate nerved, the anterior segments ca. 3 mm wide, the lateral segments 2.5 mm wide, the posterior segment 3.5 mm wide; corolla red, bilabiate, to ca. 7 cm long, mi-nutely puberulous inside and out, the tube to 4.2 cm long, 4 mm wide at the base, constricted to 2 mm just above the apex of the ovary, expanding to 9 mm wide at the throat, the upper lip erect, ca. 25 mm long, 8 mm wide, ovate, apically with 2 acuminate lobes ca. 11 mm long, the lower lip spreading at maturity, the middle lobe ovate, 30 mm long, 11 mm wide, apically acuminate, the lateral lobes triangular, the free portion 0.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, connate to the upper lip for most of their length, the tips rounded; stamens exserted to the tip of the upper lip, the anthers 7-8 mm long, 2 mm broad, acute at both enlds; filaments glabrous; style and ovary glabrous. Capsule clavate, 16 mm long, 9 mm broad, glabrous, the surface shiny and puncticulate; seeds ovate, 5 mm long, 4.5 mm wide, minutely scabrous.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
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Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Mature height (meter) 1.5
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Environment

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Usage

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Cultivation

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Distribution

Aphelandra laxa world distribution map, present in Panama

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:16229-2
WFO ID wfo-0000540161
COL ID FC7P
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Aphelandra laxa