Justicia maguirei

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Justicia maguirei

Description

Herb rarely exceeding 1 m tall. Stem erect or ascending, obscurely quadrangular, shallowly sulcate, at least above, glabrous or sparingly puberulous with curved, subappressed trichomes disposed in 2 rows. Petiole 3-4 mm long, thick and puberulous; blade firm and somewhat coriaceous, elliptic to ovate, 9-13.5 x 3.5-6.5 cm, uppermost pair conspicuously larger 12-13.5 x 5.5-6.5 cm, entire or undulate, short-acuminate to acuminate at apex, obtuse or rounded at base, both surfaces glabrous or nearly so; primary vein and secondary veins (6-8 pairs) prominent. Flowers borne in a short, dense, terminal thyrse, 4-5 x 1.5-2 cm, flowers and bracts ± secund, rachis and peduncles rather densely and bifariously puberulous; peduncle 1.5-4.5 cm long; bracts subtending flowers narrowly triangular, 2.5-3 x 1 mm, carinate, apically mucronulate, firm, sparingly hirtellous and ciliate; bracteoles narrrowly triangular, 2-3 x 1 mm, carinate, apically mucronulate, firm, glabrous or sparingly hirtellous and ciliate. Flowers sessile to subsessile; calyx 6-7 mm long, deeply 5-lobed, lobes equal, lanceolate, 5.5 x 1.75 mm, acuminate with curved tip, primary vein prominent, margin ciliate; corolla color not indicated but probably purple or red, 18-20 mm long, basally glabrous, apically finely pilose, tube 7 mm long, 3 mm wide at base, 7 mm wide at throat, upper lip erect, oblong-elliptic, 10 x 7 mm, plicate, dorsally pilose, minutely glandular-puberulous on upper surface, rounded and emarginate, lower lip ovate, spreading, 14 x 11 mm, transversely fluted, saccate, lobes ovate, rounded, 3 mm long, middle lobe 5 mm wide, lateral lobes 3 mm wide; stamens exserted 8 mm beyond mouth of corolla tube, anther thecae slightly superposed, connective 0.8 mm wide, upper theca 0.75 x 0.5 mm, muticous or minutely subapiculate basally, lower theca 0.5 x 0.25 mm, tipped by white apiculus ca. 0.5 mm long; style ca. 15 mm long, glabrous, stigma minutely 2-lobed. Capsule unknown.

Distribution

Guyana endemic
Endemic to Guyana, known from the type locality and the Upper Mazaruni R. basin, Utschi Falls, sandstone tallus slopes on rocky stream sides in moisture from falls, Tillett & Tillett 45756 (NY, US), (GU: 2).

Phenology

Flowering in .