Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs 1–2 m tall.

Stems: Stems rounded to angular, pubescent with multicellular hairs or glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite, borne on upper 3–6 nodes. Those leaves of a pair slightly unequal, symmetrical to somewhat asymmetrical, chartaceous, broadly elliptic to ovate, 13–26 cm long, 5–12.3 cm wide. Apex long-acuminate. Base broadly cuneate to truncate. Upper surfaces sparsely hirtellous; lower surfaces sparsely to moderately villous, especially along veins, more densely pubescent when young, the hairs yellowish brown. Margins dentate to serrate. Petioles 5.3–10.5 cm long, moderately short–villous, rarely densely so, base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 3–6 in open umbelliform cymes arising in the leaf axils, densely villous, peduncles 10–18 mm long, pedicels 5–15 mm long, bracts foliaceous, distinct or occasionally connate, broadly ovate or cordate, 9–15 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, nearly actinomorphic, pale green when fresh, campanulate, 9–10 mm long, cleft ¼–⅓ its length, the lobes broadly deltate, conspicuously reflexed, venation inconspicuous, both surfaces densely villous, apex rounded, deciduous or persistent in fruit. Corolla usually bilabiate, white; tube cylindrical, straight or curved, ca. 12 mm long, ca. 5 mm in diameter, densely villous, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in bud, lobes subequal, rhombic–orbicular, ca. 3 mm long; ovary glabrous. 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, apex rounded or with a stylar beak; style ca. 2 mm long, sparsely puberulent; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit unknown. Seeds unknown.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Known only from 4 collections in wet forest.

Elevation Range: 730–1,040 m.