The Grain Amaranths: A Survey of Their History and Classification

A shrub or small tree, 3-8 m. tall, nodose; upper internodes rather short, thick, subreflcxed-hirtellous with an intermixture of scattered long hairs; leaves ellipticto round-ovate, 5-11 cm, wide X 13-17 cm.long, apex sharp-acuminate, base rounded, subinequilaterally obtuse, one side 1-2 mm.shorter, bullate-lacunose, pinnately nerved from the lower half, the nerves about 6 or 8 on each side, rustyvillous above, at least along the nerves, rather densely so beneath, especially along the nerves, with a mixture of long and short hairs, margin ciliate, drying firm, dark, opaque; petiole 10-20 plus 1-2 mm.^ long, villous, vaginate and narrowly winged toward the base; spikes 8-10 mm.thick X 9-13 cm.long; peduncle stout, 1â€"2 cm.long, villous; bracts oblong-subligulate, pilose to near the subacute, curved apex; fruit subcylindrical, glabratc, stigmas 3, elongated, recurved on a moderate or short, somewhat sparsely hispid or glabrate style.Western Colombia and Panama, commonly at rather high altitudes.CHiRiQuf: trail from Cerro Punta to headwaters