364 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



Aphelandra cryptantha 



Stem and inflorescence densely white-pilose, with spreading 

 hairs, the lower leaf-surfaces sparsely and the upper still more 

 sparsely so. Leaves sessile, or the lower with extremely short 

 broad petioles, the upper (only ones seen), 1 dm. or more long, 4 

 or 5 em. wide, oblanceolate, terminating in a small spine, the 

 upper fourth of the margin entire and ciliate, the lower three 

 fourths spinose-dentate, the teeth successively larger and more 

 spinose toward the base ; thin but rigid, deep-green above, paler 

 or yellowish beneath, where the midrib and secondaries are 

 somewhat prominent, the latter 8 or 10 on a side, slender, mod- 

 erately spreading and lightly curved. Spike terminal, single 

 and simple, more or less peduncled, about 3 cm. broad, extremely 

 dense. Bracts about 2 cm. long and 6 mm. wide, brown, lanceo- 

 late, acuminate and very acute, bearing about 4 long-attenuate 

 pungent spines on each side. Flowers entirely concealed by the 

 bracts. Sepals ciliate, the largest 1 cm. long and 4 mm. wide, 

 oblong, acute, tAvo others slightly longer and only half as wide, 

 lanceolate, tlie foui'th much shorter and narrower, lance-linear. 

 Corolla a little longer than the calyx, red at the summit, yellow- 

 ish below, the tube straight and equal, the lips nearly equally 3 

 mm. long, the upper erect, entire, ovate, obtuse, the lower 3- 

 lobed, the lobes liroadly ovate, obtuse. Filaments attached at 

 the base of the corolla, the deep-red anthers reaching the base 

 of the lips, 3.5 mm. long, minutely muticous. Style equaling the 

 stamens, the stigma minutely 4-lobed. Capsule 1 cm. long. 



An imperfect specimen of this plant, collected by Otto 

 Kuntze, at Santa Cruz, in May, 1892, was determined by Dr. 

 Lindau as A. Busbyi Britton, but the excellent specimens col- 

 lected at Huachi, 1,800 feet, 0. E. White, August 12, 1921 {no. 

 542), show clearly that the species is distinct. 



Aphelandra albadenia 



Minutely and sparseh^ puberulent-strigose Avith whitish 

 hairs, but the entire plant of a deep-green color and densely 

 leafy. Stem subterete, the internodes short. Leaves 1.5 to 3 

 dm. long, 3 to cm. wide, long-acuminate at both ends, especially 

 at the base, which tapers into a short margined petiole; entire 

 or obscurely sinuate-crenate, very thin, deep green on both sides, 

 the inconspicuous venation very slender, the secondaries 12 to 

 15 on a side, falcately ascending. Spikes peduncled in the upper 

 axils, about 1 dm. long, 2 cm. wide, lanceolate, the scales 2 cm. 



