More than 2200 species of the wild flora and fauna photographed in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and the surrounding area.
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Mints, Plantains, Olives, and Allies of Zihuatanejo
ORDER LAMIALES
Red Aphelandra
Aphelandra scabra
Flowers by Colour
-Vascular Plants (Phylum Tracheophyta)
-Flowering Plants (Subphylum Angiospermae)
-Mints, Plantains, Olives, and Allies (Order Lamiales)
-Acanthus Family (Family Acanthaceae)
-Tribe Acantheae
-Subtribe Aphelandrinae
-Genus Aphelandra
-Red Aphelandra (Aphelandra scabra)
The native range of this species is Mexico to N. South America. An interesting feature of the flowers is that they bear nectar-producing glands. Flowering heads often bear ants supping nectar from the glands. It is a shrub widely used by some Mayan communities as a remedy for some infections.
Description
• Aphelandra scabra, sometimes called rough aphelandra, is a flowering shrub in the acanthus family (Acanthaceae). It has upright or branching stems and opposite leaves with a relatively rough texture, reflected in the species name scabra, meaning “rough.” Its small flowers are arranged in spikes or clusters accompanied by bracts. Flower colour and appearance can vary, and detailed descriptions of this species are less readily available than those of commonly cultivated Aphelandra species.
Range
• Aphelandra scabra is a tropical American plant associated with Mexico and parts of Central America. It is native to Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.
Habitat
• It grows in warm tropical environments, including woodland, seasonally dry forest, thickets, and forest margins. It may occur in partly shaded sites beneath trees or among shrubs, where it receives filtered sunlight and grows in well-drained soil.