Shrubs; stems subquandrangular, densely strigose, the hairs brown- ish, upwardly appressed, about 0.25 mm. long; leaves reflexed, the blades oblong to oblong-ovate, up to 18 cm. long and 7 cm. wide, slen- derly acuminate, narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, the upper surface sparingly and minutely strigose, the hairs 0.25 mm. long, the lower surface rather densely strigose, the hairs slightly less than 0.5 mm. long, closely appressed, the costa and lateral veins (9 or 10 pairs) fairly prominent; petioles (unwinged portion) up to 1 cm. long, densely and minutely strigose; spikes terminal, solitary, subsessile, up to 17 cm. long and 2 cm. broad (without corollas), the rachis white- tomentose; bracts red (living), ovate-lanceolate, 18 mm. long and 8 mm. wide at about 5 mm. above base, acute, coriaceous, glabrous, minutely and inconspicuously scurfy without, sparingly ciliolate, the costa fairly prominent, the lateral nerves obscure, the margins thin, the alveolar spots narrowly elliptic, about 2 mm. long and 0.5 mm. wide, obscure; bractlets narrowly lanceolate, 15 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide near base, slenderly acuminate, carinate, the keel densely pilose, the hairs white, ascending, 0.5 to 0.75 mm. long, the margins thin, glabrous and finely striate-nerved; calyx 18 mm. long, the segments thin and coriaceous, striate-veined, minutely and inconspicuously puberulous, the posterior segment oblong, 5 mm. wide, rounded at apex, the anterior segments lanceolate, 3.5 mm. wide, obtuse and apicu- late at tip, the lateral segments narrowly lanceolate, 3 mm. wide, obtuse at apex; corollas yellow, about 5 cm. long, papillose without, glabrous within, except above insertion of filaments, here pilose, the tube rather slender, subcylindric, about 3 mm. broad, the mouth about 5 mm. broad, the lips about 14 nm. long (immature), the upper one ovate, about 5 mm. wide, acuminate, bilobed at apex, the lobes minute, triangular, about 1 mm. long and 0.25 mm. wide, acute, the middle lobe of the lower lip ovate, 5 mm. wide, subacute, puberulous within, the lateral lobes attached to the lower part of the upper lip, their free portions about 1 mm. long and broad, obtuse; stamens barely exserted, the anthers 7 mm. long, about 1 mm. broad, obtuse at both ends, the lower lobes minutely apiculate, the tips cohering, the filaments glabrous except at base, here pilose; ovary glabrous. Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 1954767, collected in the woods of Paramitos, Nariño, Department of Antioquia, Colombia, 2,000 to 2,200 meters altitude, January 1949, by Lorenzo Uribe- Uribe (No. 1862). Aphelandra xanthantha should be easily recognized by its large, red, ovate-lanceolate bracts, bearing inconspicuous, narrowly elliptical alveolar spots, and by its yellow corollas with relatively broad but rather short ovate upper lips minutely bilobed at tip. The name xanthantha comes from avós, yellow, and areos, flower.