Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Probably scandent subshrubs.

Stems: Stems glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate–elliptic to elliptic–obovate, ca. 7–13 cm long, 2.5–5.3 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base broadly cuneate. Surfaces glabrous to very sparsely strigillose. Margins dentate–serrate. Petioles ca. 1.5–2.3 cm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 14–20 per verticillaster, in open, unbranched, terminal, bracteate, racemose inflorescences to ca. 10–15 cm long, pedicels 10–16 mm long on a common peduncle 1–2 mm long, bracts ca. 20–60 mm long, very sparsely strigillose. Calyx obconical, 4–6 mm long, enlarging in fruit, sparsely strigillose along nerves, also minutely glandular–dotted, usually 5-toothed, the teeth nearly obsolete, apex merely sinuate to broadly deltate, 1–1.8 mm long, apex rounded, splitting longitudinally, usually persistent or sometimes only ventral 1/2 persistent. Corolla bilabiate, white, tube narrowly funnelform, usually curved, ca. 8–12 mm long, upper lip entire or 2-lobed, flat or concave, ca. 6 mm long, lower lip 3-lobed, lateral lobes ovate, slightly asymmetrical, lower lobe broadly ovate to suborbicular, ca. 10 mm long, slightly folded to form a groove, margins somewhat undulate, apex emarginate or entire; nectary disk often present at base of ovary, annular or developed on anterior side only. Stamens 4, both pairs of similar length or upper pair slightly longer, ascending the upper corolla lip, included, aligned with the sinuses; filaments inserted near throat, usually pubescent; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits; anther sacs divaricate. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, placentation basal-axile; ovules 1 per ovary lobe; style 1, included, arising between lobes, shortly 2-lobed, the lobes clavate; stigmatic only at apex, 1 lobe often rudimentary; stigmas 2.

Fruit: Nutlets 1-seeded; ca. 6 mm long; dark green to black; drupaceous; exocarp fleshy; obovoid; margins slightly winged; obliquely attached at the connate base; spreading and exserted from calyx at maturity. Seeds with endosperm absent or scanty and oily.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: