308 



APHANANTHE 



APHELANDRA 



in axillary corymbs; sepals and stamens 5; pistillate 

 solitary, axillary; ovary 1-celled with 1 ovule, styles 2: 

 fr. a drupe. Three to 4 species in E. Asia and Austral. 

 The only species in cult, is a deciduous tree of the 

 appearance of a hackberry, with slender branches form- 

 ing a dense head; fls. and fr. inconspicuous. Not hardy 

 north of Ga. Prop, by seeds sown after maturity and 

 by cuttings of mature wood in fall; it also may be 

 grafted on Celtis. 



aspera, Planchon (Homoioceltis dspera, Blume. Homo- 

 cellis japonica, Hort.). Tree, to 60 ft.: Ivs. ovate to 

 ovate-oblong, broadly cuneate at the base, long-acumi- 

 nate, 2-3}^ in. long, serrate with straight 

 veins ending in the teeth, with appressed 

 hairs on both sides, rough to the touch, 

 on short stalks iin. long: fls. greenish, with 

 the Ivs.: drupe globular, black, J^in. 

 diam., short-stalked. Early spring: fr. in 

 autumn. Japan. S.I.F. 1:37. This tree 

 has been confused with Celtis sinensis, but 

 is easily distinguished by the straight 

 veins ending in the teeth, while in Celtis 

 they are curved and form loops along the 

 margin. 



ALFRED REHDER. 



APHELANDRA 



(Greek-made name). 

 Acanthdcex. Tropical 

 American evergreen 

 shrubs or tall herbs, 

 grown in hothouses 

 for the fine foliage 

 and very showy 4- 

 sided terminal spikes 

 of red or yellow 

 gaudy-bracted flow- 

 ers. 



Leaves mostly op- 

 posite, simple, entire 

 or toothed, usually 

 many and large: fls. 

 labiate, the upper 

 lip mostly 3-lobed 

 and the middle lobe 

 erect or arching, the 

 lower lip more or less 

 2-lobed or notched ; 

 stamens 4, rising 

 from the base of the 

 corolla, the anthers 

 connivent and 1-celled; style 2-lobed: fr. a 4-angled 

 caps. About 60 species. 



Aphelandras are of easy culture, if given plenty of 

 diffused light in the growing season, and plants are not 

 allowed to become tall and leggy. It is well to grow new 

 plants frequently. Propagation is by seeds when 

 obtainable, or by cuttings of partially ripened wood at 

 any season or the young growths taken off with a heel. 

 They bloom in autumn, but can readily be brought 

 into flower at other seasons. When done blooming, the 

 plants should be rested in an intermediate temperature, 

 kept rather dry, but not allowed to wilt or shrivel. 

 They require treatment of justicias, and thrive along 

 with allamandas and poinsettias. 



A. Fls. in yellow series. 



squarrdsa, Nees (A. Leopoldii, Hort. A. chrysops, 

 Bull). Lvs. large, ovate to ovate-elliptic, acuminate, 

 dark green above (pale below), with white rib and 

 main veins: infl. a simple, erect, or compound spike, 

 up to 1 ft. long; fls. pale yellow and exserted one-third 

 their length beyond the yellow crenate-dentate bracts. 

 Brazil. A. squarrosa itself is not in cult., the showy 

 plant in the trade (and described herewith) being Var. 

 Leopoldii, Van Houtte. Fig. 230. F.S. 9:889. G.C. 



230. Aphelandra 

 squarrosa var. Leopoldii. 



III. 1, p. 737. Var. Louisae, Van Houtte. Dwarfer 

 and smaller in all its parts than var. Leopoldii: St. 

 slender, dark reddish green, terete, covered in parts 

 with soft pilose hairs, upper part of the st. below the 

 infl. quite glabrous: Ivs. 3-5 in. long, elliptic, rich dark 

 green with brighter colored silvery markings along the 

 midrib and principal veins: inn. 3-(> in. long, un- 

 branched; bracts ovate, %in. long, rich dark yellow, 

 with green markings in the middle; fls. exserted beyond 

 the bracts over half their length, rich canary-yellow, 

 J-^in. diam., lower 3 petals forming a lip and reflexed, 

 upper 2 hooded, reflexing with age; tube broad, broad- 

 ening out upwards with a narrow 

 base, \% in. long. Brazil. G.W. 

 3:157. 



Chamissoniana, Nees (A. punddta, 

 Bull). An erect herb or sub-shrub: 

 sts. slender, erect, terete, green, lower 

 part more or less woody: Ivs. petio- 

 late, elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, 

 tapering at apex and base, and up 

 to 6 in. long, upper part light green, 

 marked along the principal veins 

 and midrib with dull silvery white or 

 yellowish white, the silvery markings 

 sometimes spreading over nearly the 

 entire If.; petiole short or up to an 

 inch or more long, 

 lower side dull light 

 green: infl. an erect 

 unbranched spike, as 

 much as a foot long 

 when strong and 2-3 

 in. wide; bracts ovate- 

 lanceolate, bright 

 yellow, tipped with 

 green, coarsely ser- 

 rate, slightly reflexed; 

 calyx i^jin. long; 

 sepals lanceolate; corolla bright yel- 

 low, an inch diam. ; tube 1 % in. long, 

 curved outward and tapering up- 

 ward; lobes ovate, nearly equal; 

 anthers yellow. S. Brazil. B.M. 

 6627. I.H. 29:457. 



Blanchetiana, Hook. f. (A. amdena, 

 Bull). St. terete, green, tinted with 

 dull purple, with deeper shading 

 around the base of petiole and at 

 the nodes, thick and stout: Ivs. 

 ovate-acuminate, with many pairs of conspicuous 

 nerves, green, the midrib, and often the main veins, 

 white; petiole, 1-2 in. long, terete, glabrous: fls. dark 

 yellow, exceeding the long, entire, cusp-pointed red 

 scales: spike sessile. Brazil. B.M. 7179. Known in the 

 trade as A. amcena, having been described under that 

 name before it had flowered in cult. 



AA. Fls. in red-orange series, i.e., scarlet, or 

 verging to orange. 



aurantiaca, Lindl. Lvs. ovate-elliptic, deep green 

 above, light green below, strongly veined, but not parti- 

 colored, slightly wavy edged: fls. orange, with a tinge of 

 scarlet, the spreading limb overhanging the greenish 

 sharp-toothed scales. A dwarf-growing species of easy 

 cult, and readily raised from seed. Mex. B.M. 4224. 

 B.R. 31:12. Var. R&zlii, Nichols. (A. R&zlei, Carr.). 

 Fls. with more scarlet: Ivs. twisted, with silvery hue 

 between the veins. Mex. Gn. W. 20:576. Showy and 

 good. Not so tall as A. aurantiaca. 



Macleayi, Bedd. Lvs. ovate-elliptic, 3 in. or less long, 

 acute, entire, green both sides with white band along 

 midrib above: spike cone-like, orange-scarlet, nearly 2 

 in. long. Country unknown. -Said to have been cult, 

 as A. punctata and A. squarrosa. 



