Justicia pelianthia Leonard

11.Justicia pelianthiaLeonard, Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 31: 591. 1958. (Leonard 1958: 591) Type. Colombia • Putumayo, between Quebrada de la Hormiga and San Antonio de Güamués, 330 m, J. Cuatrecasas 11157 (holotype US-00137141, isotypes COL-00004518, F-0047446 F). Description. Subshrub, stems bifariously strigose. Leaves petiolate, lamina 8–21 × 4–9 cm, oblong-elliptic, shortly acuminate, base attenuate and decurrent onto a petiole up to 3.5 cm long, both surfaces glabrous except for the strigose veins; petioles 1–6 cm, strigose. Inflorescence a compact terminal panicle up to 16 cm long and wide, over-topped by the leaves, composed of short lax spikes, these strigose with golden hairs; bracts 7–10 × 1.25 mm, lanceolate; bracteoles similar; calyx 12–15 mm long, deeply 5 - lobed, puberulent; corolla up to 6.5 cm long, red to purple, glandular-pubescent, upper lip 3.3 cm long, emarginate, lower lip 3.5 cm long, shallowly 3 - lobed, lobes 3–4 mm long; anther thecae broadly oblong, 2 × 1.25 mm, strongly superposed, lower with minute basal appendage; pollen perprolate, 69–77 × 33 μm, 2 - aperturate, colporate, 1 row of c. 9–12 insulae and a second ill-defined row of peninsulae on either side of aperture (Fig. 49 C); ovary glabrous. Capsule and seeds not seen. Illustration. Fig. 14 A – D. Habitat. Lowland, primary rainforest on clay / lateritic soils, 100– 150 m. Phenology. Mainly June to August but this may reflect seasons with accessibility to collectors. Distribution. Loreto region of Amazonian Peru and neighbouring Putumayo in Colombia. A new record for Peru. Fig. 57. Material examined. Peru • Loreto (all from the Iquitos region): Timbuchi, Río Nanay, June – July 1929, Ll. Williams 861 a (F). Prov. Maynas, Quebrada Sucusari, Camp. Llachapa, N side of Río Napo below Mazán, 140 m, 6 Nov. 1979, Al. Gentry et al. 27592 (MO, US); • ibid., Dist. Iquitos, Mishuyacu, near Iquitos, 100 m, Oct. – Nov. 1929, G. Klug 73 (F, US); • ibid., May – June 1930, G. Klug 1429 (F, US); • ibid., Iquitos, 100 m, 3–11 Aug. 1929, E. P. Killip & A. C. Smith 27116 (US); • ibid., Iquitos, trail from Picura (lower Río Nanay) to Río Mazán, 19 May 1978, S. McDaniel et al. 21499 (US); • ibid., Río Amazonas, c. 10 km below mouth of Río Nanay, Trocha de Santa María de Ojeal, 14 June 1976, S. McDaniel et al. 20709 (MO, US); • ibid., Río Amazonas, ca 10 km below mouth of Río Nanay, trail from Santa María de Ojeal to Interior, 21 June 1976, M. Rimachi 2351 (US); • ibid., Dist. Alto Nanay, Pinto-Cocha on the Río Nanay, July 1929, Llewellyn Williams 799 (F). Notes. Justicia pelianthia and J. palaciosii Wassh. differ principally in the dimensions of the bracts and calyx but may prove to be conspecific. The older name, J. pelianthia is adopted here. Justicia pelianthia is also similar in facies to J. sanchezioides but the bracts are inconspicuous, only 5–10 mm long and the calyx shorter. Curiously there have been no records from Peru since 1979, suggesting either that there has been forest clearance where the plant grew or that there has been no recent field work in the area.