Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs 2.5–7 m tall.

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

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite, borne on upper 3–5 nodes. Those leaves of a pair unequal, symmetrical or asymmetrical, chartaceous, very broadly elliptic or very broadly ovate, occasionally subcordate or elliptic, (11–)15–30 cm long, 6–15 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base truncate to broadly cuneate or subcordate. Upper surfaces sparsely to moderately hirtellous; lower surfaces sparsely to moderately pilose, the hairs yellowish brown; blades chartaceous; upper surfaces somewhat rugose. Margins coarsely serrate or dentate. Lower surface with raised veins. Petioles 4–10(–13) cm long, densely shaggy villous, base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers (2)3–7 in spreading, open, umbelliform or subumbelliform cymes arising in the leaf axils, usually densely shaggy villous throughout, peduncles stout, 20–55 mm long, pedicels 12–30 mm long, elongating to 20–45 mm long in fruit, bracts greenish white, foliaceous, narrowly ovate, 14–40 mm long, distinct or occasionally connate. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, actinomorphic or nearly so, white to pale green when fresh, (12–)15–35 mm long, cleft nearly to base, the lobes linear–lanceolate, erect to ascending after anthesis, both surfaces densely villous, deciduous or persistent in fruit. Corolla usually bilabiate, white, tube cylindrical, straight or curved, flaring very slightly at mouth, 17–20 mm long, ca. 5–7 mm in diameter medially, densely white villous, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in bud, upper lobes reniform–orbicular, 3–5 mm long, 6–8 mm wide, lower lobes reniform–orbicular, 5.5–6.5 mm long, 6–9 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 or nearly so, apex rounded or with a stylar beak; style 2–3 mm long, glabrous; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit a fleshy or firm berry; white; ellipsoid; 1.5–2.5 cm long; glabrous; often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds numerous; ellipsoid; minute; 0.4–0.5 mm long; the surface reticulate.

Ploidy: 2n = 34*

Habitat: Occurring in moist; shaded gulch–bottoms and on slopes in disturbed mesic valleys to wet forest; windward and leeward.

Elevation Range: 210–610 m.