Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs.

Stems: Stems usually several arising from a horizontal stem, these erect, 1–3 m long, unbranched or occasionally with short lateral branches that have 2 or 4 leaves to 10–17 cm long, both erect and horizontal stems producing adventitious roots, rounded to angular, pubescent with multicellular hairs or glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite, decussate, clustered on upper 3–6 nodes. Those leaves at a node slightly unequal, symmetrical, oblanceolate to elliptic–oblanceolate, 30–60 cm long, (10–)12–24 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base long-attenuate. Upper surfaces sparsely pilose along veins and with a few scattered hairs over surface; lower surfaces sparsely appressed short–pilose, becoming moderately so toward and on veins, these hairs darker brown and slightly longer than surfaces hairs; blades fleshy, drying thin and chartaceous. Margins serrulate. Lower surface with veins slightly raised. Sessile. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 7–30 in dense compound cymes arising on lower ⅓ of erect stems, but usually at base, also on horizontal stems or even on adventitious roots, moderately appressed dark brown pilose throughout, peduncles 2–6 mm long, pedicels 3–11 mm long, bracts slightly asymmetrical, elliptic-lanceolate to lanceolate, 6–20 mm long, deciduous. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, zygomorphic, short–fusiform in bud, beak 2–3 mm long, 16–23 mm long in anthesis, deciduous after anthesis, tube 12–15 mm long, sparsely appressed brown pilose, moderately so within, the lobes separating, upper ones 9–11 mm long, lower ones 8–9 mm long. Corolla usually bilabiate, white, tube narrowly funnelform, curved, 17–22 mm long, ca. 4 mm in diameter medially, glabrous externally, puberulent within, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in bud, upper lobes broadly ovate to suborbicular, 4–6 mm long, 6–8 mm wide, lateral lobes broadly elliptic–ovate, 7–11 mm long, ca. 8–10 mm wide. Stamens 5, inserted about halfway up corolla tube, the 2 upper Stamens fertile, others staminodial, +/– with abortive anthers; fertile anthers coherent positioned in throat of corolla tube, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits or occasionally by apical pores. Ovary superior, oblong–ovoid, 2-carpellate, 1-celled, placentation parietal, placentas 2, ± intruded, rarely joined in center and dividing ovary into 2 cells; ovules numerous, anatropous, glabrous, after anthesis sparsely glandular puberulent, apex rounded or with a stylar beak; style 12–16 mm long; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit a fleshy or firm berry; (immature) ovoid–ellipsoid to oblong–ellipsoid; 1.4–1.8 cm long; often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds numerous; ellipsoid; minute; (immature) 0.3–0.5 mm long; the surface reticulate.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Locally common in streambeds and on talus slopes; in a few mesic valleys.

Elevation Range: 240–320 m.