Suffrutescent herbs up to 2 meters high or more; stems glabrate below, strigose toward tip, the hairs about 0.5 mm. long; leaf blades oblong-elliptic in outline, up to 25 cm. long and 12 cm. wide, acute to acuminate at apex and terminated by a yellowish spine 0.75 to 2 mm. long, narrowed at base, deeply incised, the lobes triangular to oblong, up to 7 cm, long, each lobe terminated by a small yellowish spine (1 to 2 mm. long), the entire margin serrate, the teeth 1 to 4 mm. high and broad, all spine-tipped, the upper surface sparingly strigose or the costa and veins (about 20 pairs) more densely so, the hairs about 0.75 mm. long, the lower surface more densely strigose, the hairs about 0.5 mm. long, those of the costa and veins appressed or ascending, the venation of the lower surface more prominent than that of the upper; interpetiolar bracts triangular, about 4 mm. long, bearing a pair of stout spines, one about 1 cm. long, the other 2 to 3 mm. long; spikes terminal and axillary, up to 10 em. long and about 2 cm. broad, the rachis sparingly strigose; bracts about 2 cm. long and 8 mm. wide, acuminate, terminated by a spine about 1 mm. long, the inner surface glabrous, the outer surface rather sparingly strigose, the hairs 0.5 mm. long, the margins ciliate, bearing 1 to 4 pairs of spine-tipped teeth, the spines 1 to 2 mm. long; bractlets lanceolate, about 17 mm. long and 3 mm. wide near base, acuminate, terminated by a spine 1 mm. long, striate-nerved, the inner surface glabrous, the outer rather sparingly strigose, ciliate, the margins usually entire; calyx segments oblong-lanceolate, 23 to 25 mm. long, 3.5 to 5 mm. wide, minutely strigose, the inner surface only so toward tip, the hairs about 125 long, the margins thin, sparingly and minutely dentate; corolla 4 cm. long, red, rather densely hirsute except the glabrous basal portion, the hairs 0.25 to 0.5 mm. long, ascending, the tube 4 mm. broad near base, slightly contracted above the ovary, thence enlarged to 7 mm. and again contracted at mouth to 5 mm., the upper lip erect, 5 mm. long and 3 to 5 mm. wide, bilobed, the lobes 3 mm. long and casas' No. 23462, collected along the Río San José, at Aguabonita, in the region of Moscopán, Department of El Cauca, Colombia, 2,280 meters altitude, January 30, 1947, is of this species. Related to Aphelandra acanthus, A. huilensis can be recognized readily when compared with that species by its red, hirsute corolla. In A. acanthus, the corollas are yellow and densely and softly pubes- cent or tomentose. The species is named for the Department of Huila. On the label accompanying his specimen (No. 23462) Cuatrecasas gives the following description: "Sufrutex robusto, erguido, espinoso. Hoja verde glauco claro. Caliz rojizo. Corola roja. Anteras amarillas."