Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs 0.3–1.5(–2) m tall.

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

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Leaves in whorls of 3–4 per node, often closely spaced, borne on upper 5–8 nodes. Those leaves at a node subequal, symmetrical or nearly so, elliptic, 9–15 cm long, 2.5–4 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base cuneate. Upper surfaces sparsely bullate hirsute; lower surfaces sparsely appressed pilose, essentially only on principal veins, sometimes a few hairs scattered over surface, blades chartaceous. Margins serrate. Petioles 1.5–6.5 cm long, base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers solitary, arising in the leaf axils or occasionally along stems, glabrate or sparsely appressed pilose, peduncles 8–10 mm long, pedicels 8–22 mm long, bracts distinct or occasionally connate, oblong to elliptic, 8–10 mm long, caducous. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, nearly actinomorphic, green(?), 8–9 mm long, cleft to base, the lobes oblong to narrowly lanceolate, glabrate to very sparsely appressed pilose, glabrous within, apex acute, deciduous or persistent in fruit. Corolla usually bilabiate, white, tube narrowly funnelform, the tube straight or curved, ca. 18 mm long, lobes not measured, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in bud. 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, glabrous, oblong–ovoid, 2-carpellate, 1-celled, placentation parietal, placentas 2, ± intruded, rarely joined in center and dividing ovary into 2 cells; ovules numerous, anatropous, apex rounded or with a stylar beak; style glabrous; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit a fleshy or firm berry; ovoid; ca. 1.2 cm long (immature); often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds unknown.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Apparently rare in wet forest.

Elevation Range: 1,030–1,150 m.