Aphelandra glabrata Willd. ex Nees in DC. Prodr. 11: 296. 1847. Type col- lected between Fusagasuga and Pandi, Department of Cundinamarca, Colom- bia, by Humboldt. Photograph of type material from the Berlin Herbarium in the U. S. National Herbarium (Field Mus, photograph No. 8708). Shrubs, or suffrutescent herbs, up to 2 meters high; stems terete, erect or ascending, sparingly branched, the tips densely and minutely stri- gose, the hairs brownish, appressed, the lower portions of the stem glabrate, the lenticels raised, corky, minute, orbicular to linear, the larger barely more than 0.5 mm. long; leaf blades obovate to elliptic or oblong or oblanceolate, 10 to 20 cm. long, 3 to 12 cm. wide, more or less abruptly acuminate (the tip itself blunt, the apex often curved), gradually narrowed to base, coriaceous, the upper surface drying olive to dark brown, nitid, glabrous or the costa minutely hirsute or in young leaves the entire surface hirsute, the hairs about 0.5 mm. long, appressed or spreading, the costa and lateral veins, usually 10 to 12 pairs, flat or slightly raised, the lower surface drying light olive or brown, the entire surface usually rather densely but minutely hirsute, the hairs about 0.5 mm. long, appressed or ascending, brownish; petioles (unwinged portion) up to 10 mm. long, the pubescence similar to that of the stems; flowers borne in 1 to several terminal subsessile spikes 4 to 15 cm. long or occasionally as much as 20 cm. long, the rachis white-cottony; bracts red, closely imbricate, subrhombic, up to 7 mm. long and 5 mm. wide at 2.5 mm. above base, glabrous or softly pubescent dorsally without, densely ciliolate, the costa and 2 or more nerves on either side prominent, these flanked on either side by a flat, elliptic, subpunctate glandular spot about 1.5 mm. long and 1 mm. wide; bractlets lanceolate, oblique, 7 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, acute, carinate, the keel densely white-pilose, the hairs appressed to ascend- ing, the margins subhyaline, ciliate at tip, delicately striate-nerved; calyx 7.5 mm. long, glabrous, striate-nerved, the posterior segment 4 mm. wide, obtuse, the anterior pair 2.25 mm. wide, the lateral pair 2 mm. wide, both pairs acute to obtuse; corollas 3.5 cm. long, bright red, glabrous, minutely punctate, the tube about 2.5 mm. broad at base, narrowed at tip of ovary to 1.5 mm., thence gradually enlarged to 4 mm. at mouth, the upper lip erect, 15 mm. long, about 7 mm. broad at base, narrowed to a slender 2-lobed tip, the lobes 3.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide at base, slenderly acuminate, the middle lobe of the lower lip spread- ing, lance-elliptic, 4 mm. wide, obtuse at apex, conduplicate; capsules glabrous, 13 mm. long, 4.5 mm, broad, 3 mm. thick, sparingly and in- conspicuously punctate; mature seed not seen. Aphelandra glabrata can be recognized and readily separated from A. pulcherrima by its smooth, albicant stems and glossy leaves, char- acters which suggested the specific name. The flowering season ex- tends from May through August. According to Killip, Dugand, and Jaramillo (No. 38155), the entire inflorescence takes on a deep purple color with age. Woods and thickets, often along streams at various elevations rang- ing from 100 to 2,200 meters. Apparently endemic in Colombia. 

ANTIOQUIA: Vicinity of Dabelba, Johnson & Barkley 18C.409 (US); Uribe- Uribe 1436 (Col). Urabá, Río Rama, between Dabeiba and Urabá, Uribe-Uribe 1517 (Col). CUNDINAMARCA: Along trail to Anapoima, east of Apulo, Killip, Dugand, & Jara- millo 38155 (US). Fusagasuga, Holton 595 (Ph, NY). Guaduas, Bro. Ariste- Joseph 1019 (US). Between Guaduas and Alto de Aguaclara, at the Hacienda Paramillo, Garcia-Barriga 12338 (US). Nariño, l'érez-Arbeláez 417 (Col, US). Páramos of Guasca, toward Gachetá, Bro. Ariste-Joseph s. n. (NY, US). La Paila, Triana (Col). Quebrada Carmargo, north of Apulo, Killip, Dugand, & Jaramillo 38237 (US). EL VALLE: Cali, Herrera 944 (US). La Cumbre, Pennell 5676 (Ph, NY, US). Río Dagua, Killip 35586 (US); Lehmann 8. n. (K). HUILA: East of Neiva, Rusby & Pennell 409 (US). TOLIMA: Angostura de Honda, André 287 (K). Doima, Haught 2449 (US). Honda, Bro. Ariste-Joseph A360 (US). DEPARTMENT (?): Mutis 720 (US), 1504 (US); Triana s. n. (NY, US).