206 Species of Genus Aphelandra

Aphelandra: A Plant Collector’s Dream

My name is Ferb Vu, and I’ve always been drawn to the vibrant and unique in the natural world. That’s why I find myself captivated by the genus Aphelandra, a group of flowering plants that truly stand out. Native to the tropical regions of the Americas, these evergreen shrubs bring a touch of the exotic to any plant collection.

Why I Love Aphelandra

What strikes me most about Aphelandra is the bold, graphic quality of their foliage. The large, simple leaves often feature striking white or silver veins that create a mesmerizing contrast against the deep green. It’s like Mother Nature herself took a paintbrush to these leaves, creating living works of art. And then there are the flowers. Held in magnificent spikes or clusters, they come in a dazzling array of colors – fiery reds, sunny yellows, and vibrant oranges. These blooms add a joyful burst of color that can brighten even the gloomiest day.

But it’s not just their beauty that fascinates me. Aphelandra species also boast a rich history of ethnobotanical use. Some have been traditionally employed for their medicinal properties, while others have played a role in local customs and traditions. This connection to human history adds another layer of intrigue to these already captivating plants.

A Diverse Genus

The genus Aphelandra is surprisingly diverse, encompassing over 200 recognized species. Each one possesses its own unique charm and characteristics. Here are:

  1. Aphelandra acanthifolia Hook.
  2. Aphelandra acanthus Nees
  3. Aphelandra acrensis Lindau
  4. Aphelandra albert-smithii Leonard
  5. Aphelandra albinotata Wassh.
  6. Aphelandra alexandri Leonard
  7. Aphelandra ameleta Leonard
  8. Aphelandra anderssonii Wassh.
  9. Aphelandra antioquiensis Wassh.
  10. Aphelandra apecoi R.Villanueva, Rob.Fernández & Pillaca
  11. Aphelandra arborea (Mill.) M.R.Almeida
  12. Aphelandra arisema Leonard
  13. Aphelandra aristei Leonard
  14. Aphelandra arnoldii Mildbr.
  15. Aphelandra attenuata Wassh.
  16. Aphelandra aucayacuensis Wassh.
  17. Aphelandra aurantiaca (Scheidw.) Lindl.
  18. Aphelandra azuayensis Wassh.
  19. Aphelandra bahiensis (Nees) Wassh.
  20. Aphelandra barkleyi Leonard
  21. Aphelandra benoistii Wassh.
  22. Aphelandra blanchetiana (Nees) Hook.f.
  23. Aphelandra blandii Lindau
  24. Aphelandra botanodes Leonard
  25. Aphelandra boyacensis Leonard
  26. Aphelandra bradeana Rizzini
  27. Aphelandra campanensis Durkee
  28. Aphelandra campii Wassh.
  29. Aphelandra caput-medusae Lindau
  30. Aphelandra castanifolia Britton ex Rusby
  31. Aphelandra chamissoniana Nees
  32. Aphelandra chaponensis Leonard
  33. Aphelandra chrysantha Wassh.
  34. Aphelandra cinnabarina Wassh.
  35. Aphelandra cirsioides Lindau
  36. Aphelandra claussenii Wassh.
  37. Aphelandra colombiensis Lindau ex Leonard
  38. Aphelandra colorata (Vell.) Wassh.
  39. Aphelandra conformis Leonard
  40. Aphelandra crenata Leonard
  41. Aphelandra crispata Leonard
  42. Aphelandra cuatrecasasii Leonard
  43. Aphelandra cuscoensis Wassh.
  44. Aphelandra darienensis Wassh.
  45. Aphelandra dasyantha Wassh.
  46. Aphelandra davidsonii Wassh.
  47. Aphelandra decorata (Nees) Wassh.
  48. Aphelandra diachyla Leonard
  49. Aphelandra dielsii Mildbr.
  50. Aphelandra diffusa Wassh.
  51. Aphelandra dodsonii Wassh.
  52. Aphelandra dolichantha Donn.Sm.
  53. Aphelandra dukei Wassh.
  54. Aphelandra dunlapiana Standl. & L.O.Williams
  55. Aphelandra elata (Lindau) McDade & E.A.Tripp
  56. Aphelandra encarnacionii Wassh.
  57. Aphelandra espinosae Wassh.
  58. Aphelandra espirito-santensis Profice & Wassh.
  59. Aphelandra euopla Leonard
  60. Aphelandra eurystoma Mildbr.
  61. Aphelandra fasciculata Wassh.
  62. Aphelandra fernandezii Leonard
  63. Aphelandra ferreyrae Wassh.
  64. Aphelandra flava Nees
  65. Aphelandra formosa (Bonpl.) Nees
  66. Aphelandra galba Wassh.
  67. Aphelandra garciae Leonard
  68. Aphelandra gigantea (Rizzini) Profice
  69. Aphelandra gigantiflora Lindau
  70. Aphelandra glabrata Willd. ex Nees
  71. Aphelandra golfodulcensis McDade
  72. Aphelandra goodspeedii Standl. & F.A.Barkley
  73. Aphelandra gracilis Leonard
  74. Aphelandra grangeri Leonard
  75. Aphelandra grazielae Profice
  76. Aphelandra guayasii Wassh.
  77. Aphelandra guerrerensis Wassh.
  78. Aphelandra gunnarii Wassh.
  79. Aphelandra hapala Wassh.
  80. Aphelandra harleyi Wassh.
  81. Aphelandra harlingii Wassh.
  82. Aphelandra hartwegiana Nees ex Benth.
  83. Aphelandra haughtii Leonard
  84. Aphelandra heydeana Donn.Sm.
  85. Aphelandra hieronymi Griseb.
  86. Aphelandra hintonii Wassh.
  87. Aphelandra hirta (Klotzsch) Wassh.
  88. Aphelandra huilensis Leonard
  89. Aphelandra hylaea Leonard
  90. Aphelandra hymenobracteata Profice
  91. Aphelandra impressa Lindau
  92. Aphelandra inaequalis Lindau
  93. Aphelandra jacobinioides Lindau
  94. Aphelandra juninensis Wassh.
  95. Aphelandra killipii Leonard
  96. Aphelandra kingii Wassh.
  97. Aphelandra knappiae Wassh.
  98. Aphelandra kolobantha Lindau
  99. Aphelandra kuna T.F.Daniel & McDade
  100. Aphelandra lamprantha Leonard
  101. Aphelandra lasia Leonard
  102. Aphelandra lasiandra (Mildbr.) McDade & E.A.Tripp
  103. Aphelandra lasiophylla Leonard
  104. Aphelandra latibracteata Wassh.
  105. Aphelandra lawranceae Leonard
  106. Aphelandra laxa Durkee
  107. Aphelandra leonardii McDade
  108. Aphelandra liboniana Jacob-Makoy
  109. Aphelandra lilacina C.Ezcurra
  110. Aphelandra limbatifolia Lindau
  111. Aphelandra lineariloba Leonard
  112. Aphelandra lingua-bovis Leonard
  113. Aphelandra longiflora (Lindl.) Profice
  114. Aphelandra loxensis Wassh.
  115. Aphelandra luyensis Lindau
  116. Aphelandra lyrata Nees
  117. Aphelandra macrophylla Leonard
  118. Aphelandra macrosiphon Lindau
  119. Aphelandra macrostachya Nees
  120. Aphelandra maculata (Tafalla ex Nees) Voss
  121. Aphelandra madrensis Lindau
  122. Aphelandra margaritae É.Morren
  123. Aphelandra marginata Nees & Mart.
  124. Aphelandra martiusii Wassh.
  125. Aphelandra maximiliana (Nees) Benth. ex Lindau
  126. Aphelandra merelloae T.F.Daniel & McPherson
  127. Aphelandra micans Moritz ex Vatke
  128. Aphelandra mildbraediana Leonard
  129. Aphelandra modesta (Mildbr.) Wassh.
  130. Aphelandra molinae T.F.Daniel
  131. Aphelandra mollis (Nees) Leonard
  132. Aphelandra mollissima Wassh.
  133. Aphelandra montis-scalaris Lindau ex Pilg.
  134. Aphelandra mucronata (Ruiz & Pav.) Nees
  135. Aphelandra neesiana Wassh.
  136. Aphelandra neillii Wassh.
  137. Aphelandra nemoralis Nees
  138. Aphelandra nitida Nees & Mart.
  139. Aphelandra nuda Nees
  140. Aphelandra obtusa (Nees) Wassh.
  141. Aphelandra obtusifolia (Nees) Wassh.
  142. Aphelandra ornata (Nees) T.Anderson
  143. Aphelandra panamensis McDade
  144. Aphelandra parviflora Leonard
  145. Aphelandra parvispica Leonard
  146. Aphelandra paulensis Wassh.
  147. Aphelandra pepe-parodii Wassh.
  148. Aphelandra peruviana Wassh.
  149. Aphelandra phaina Wassh.
  150. Aphelandra pharangophila Leonard
  151. Aphelandra phlogea Leonard
  152. Aphelandra phrynioides Lindau
  153. Aphelandra pilosa Leonard
  154. Aphelandra pinarotricha Leonard
  155. Aphelandra plowmanii Wassh.
  156. Aphelandra porphyrocarpa Leonard
  157. Aphelandra prismatica (Vell.) Hiern
  158. Aphelandra puberula Leonard
  159. Aphelandra pulcherrima (Jacq.) Kunth
  160. Aphelandra pumila G.Nicholson
  161. Aphelandra quadrifaria Leonard
  162. Aphelandra reticulata Wassh.
  163. Aphelandra rigida Glaz. ex Mildbr.
  164. Aphelandra rosulata (Lindau) Wassh.
  165. Aphelandra rubra Wassh.
  166. Aphelandra rugosa R.Villanueva, Rob.Fernández & Pillaca
  167. Aphelandra runcinata Klotzsch ex Nees
  168. Aphelandra rusbyi Britton ex Rusby
  169. Aphelandra scabra (Vahl) Sm.
  170. Aphelandra schiedeana Schltdl. & Cham.
  171. Aphelandra schieferae Leonard
  172. Aphelandra schottiana (Nees) Profice
  173. Aphelandra schunkei Wassh.
  174. Aphelandra scolnikiae Leonard
  175. Aphelandra seibertii Leonard
  176. Aphelandra sericantha Leonard
  177. Aphelandra silvicola Leonard
  178. Aphelandra sinclairiana Nees
  179. Aphelandra speciosa Brandegee
  180. Aphelandra stephanophysa Nees
  181. Aphelandra steyermarkii Wassh.
  182. Aphelandra stipulacea (Lindau) McDade & E.A.Tripp
  183. Aphelandra storkii Leonard
  184. Aphelandra straminea Leonard
  185. Aphelandra sulphurea Hook.f.
  186. Aphelandra superba Lindau
  187. Aphelandra taborensis Leonard
  188. Aphelandra terryae Standl.
  189. Aphelandra tetroicia Wassh.
  190. Aphelandra tillettii Wassh.
  191. Aphelandra tomentosa Lindau
  192. Aphelandra tonduzii Leonard
  193. Aphelandra trianae Leonard
  194. Aphelandra trichota Leonard
  195. Aphelandra tridentata Hemsl.
  196. Aphelandra tumbecensis Wassh.
  197. Aphelandra variegata C.Morel ex Planch.
  198. Aphelandra villonacensis Wassh.
  199. Aphelandra viscosa Mildbr.
  200. Aphelandra vitellina (Lindau) McDade & E.A.Tripp
  201. Aphelandra wasshausenii Profice
  202. Aphelandra weberbaueri Mildbr.
  203. Aphelandra wendtii T.F.Daniel
  204. Aphelandra wurdackii Wassh.
  205. Aphelandra xanthantha Leonard
  206. Aphelandra zamorensis Wassh.

Growing and Caring for Aphelandra

While Aphelandra plants may seem exotic, they’re not overly demanding when it comes to care. Here are a few key tips I’ve learned over the years:

  • Light: Provide bright, indirect light. Avoid direct sunlight, which can scorch the leaves.
  • Water: Keep the soil consistently moist, but not waterlogged. Allow the top inch of soil to dry out between waterings.
  • Humidity: These tropical plants thrive in humid environments. Consider using a humidifier or placing the pot on a tray of pebbles filled with water.
  • Temperature: Maintain a warm temperature, ideally between 65-80°F (18-27°C). Avoid cold drafts.
  • Fertilizer: Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer every two weeks during the growing season.

With proper care, your Aphelandra plants will reward you with their stunning foliage and vibrant blooms.

More Than Just a Pretty Face

Beyond their ornamental value, Aphelandra species also contribute to the ecosystem. Their flowers attract pollinators like bees and hummingbirds, playing a vital role in supporting local biodiversity. Additionally, some species have been found to possess medicinal properties, with potential applications in treating inflammation and infections.

As I continue to explore the world of Aphelandra, I’m constantly amazed by their beauty, diversity, and ecological importance. These plants are a true testament to the wonders of the natural world, and I encourage everyone to discover the magic of Aphelandra for themselves.

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