Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Plant 1–3 m tall.

Stems: Stem 0.8–2 m tall x 1.3–5 cm diam., cicatrices 2.5–45 mm tall x 7–11 mm wide, transversely rhombic, the corners acute.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades oblanceolate, 9.5–19.5 cm long x 1.1–2.8 cm wide. Apex acute or acuminate. Base attenuate. Surfaces densely long pubescent on the Lower surfaces midrib (rarely glabrous). Margins distinctly revolute. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescence 0.4–0.8 m tall, unbranched, 18–36–flowered and cylindrical in outline, its axis green, glabrous; peduncle sparsely covered with sterile bracts that rapidly decrease in size acropetally; sterile bracts 25–110 mm long x 10–18 mm wide, linear, narrowly elliptic, oblong, or ovate, the apex acuminate or acute, the base cuneate; floral bracts 18–32 mm long x 6–8 mm wide, ovate or lanceolate, the apex acute or acuminate, the base cuneate; pedicels 20–40 mm long, of more–or-less equal length throughout; hypanthium 6–10 mm long x 7.5–12 mm diam. broadly obconic or campanulate, 1/8–1/9 as long as the corolla, glabrous. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 5-lobed, lobes 13–18 mm long x 4.5–7 mm wide, ovate or lanceolate, 1.6–2.5 times longer than the hypanthium, the margin entire, the apex acuminate or acute, sepals connate, tube adnate to ovary. Corolla zygomorphic, dorsally cleft almost to base, 60-56 mm long, red, glabrous, tube 20-30 mm long x 6-11 mm diam. at middle, slightly curved, expanding slightly towards the mouth, 2-4.5 times longer than broad; dorsal lobes 30-40 mm long x 4-5 mm wide, equaling to twice as long as the tube; ventral lip 24-30 mm long x 12-20 mm wide. Stamens 5, alternate with corolla lobes; anthers with apical tufts of white hairs on all 5, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits, coherent but separating after anthesis or connate and forming a tube into which pollen is shed; filaments distinct or connate above, attached to the epigynous nectary disk or to base of corolla, rarely adnate to corolla tube; filament tube 58-66 mm long, decurved slightly, 4–6 times longer than anther tube, glabrous; anther tube 4–6 mm diam.; dorsal anthers 10– 13 mm long; ventral anthers 7.5–10 mm long. Ovary inferior, 2-celled, often crowned with an annular nectary disk; ovule placentation axile, or when 1-celled with 2 parietal placentas; stigmas wet or dry, 2-lobed, appressed and nonreceptive as the style grows through the anther tube, pushing out the pollen, after which the stigmas spread apart and become receptive.

Fruit: Capsules 23–30 mm long x 11–19 mm diam.; dehiscent at apex by 2 valves. Seeds numerous; with a straight; short to spatulate dicotyledonous embryo embedded in oily endosperm; 1–1.5 mm long x 0.5–0.7 mm wide; chestnut–brown.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Known only from montane wet shrublands.

Elevation Range: 805–960 m.