Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs 2–3 m tall.

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

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite, borne on upper 3–4 nodes. Those leaves of a pair unequal, slightly asymmetrical, chartaceous, suborbicular to very broadly elliptic, ca.12–18 cm long, ca. 8–9 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base truncate to broadly cuneate. Upper surfaces moderately hirtellous; lower surfaces densely velvety villous. Margins coarsely and irregularly serrate–dentate. Petioles ca. 4–6.5 cm long, densely brown villous, base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 1–2 in cymes arising in the leaf axils, densely villous throughout, peduncles stout, ca.20–25 mm long, pedicels stout, ca. 18–25 mm long, elongating to ca. 32–35 mm long in fruit, bracts foliaceous, very broadly elliptic, distinct or occasionally connate, 17–19 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, nearly actinomorphic, apparently pale green, chartaceous, broadly campanulate, ca. 20–21 mm long, cleft ca. 1⁄2 its length, the lobes broadly elliptic, erect at anthesis, spreading at nearly right angles to fruit, both surfaces densely villous, apex acute, deciduous or persistent in fruit. Corolla usually bilabiate, white(?), tube subcylindrical, flaring slightly below mouth, 19–20 mm long, ca. 10–11 mm in diameter medially, the tube straight or curved, moderately villous, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in bud, upper lobes rhombic–orbicular, ca. 5 mm long, ca. 8 mm wide, lower lobes rhombic–orbicular, ca. 6.5–7.5 mm long, ca. 9–10 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, apex rounded or with a stylar beak; style ca. 2 mm long, glabrous; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit a fleshy or firm berry; white; ovoid; ca. 1.8 cm long; surrounded by the persistent; spreading calyx; often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds numerous; ellipsoid; minute; usually less than ca. 1 mm long; the surface reticulate.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Rare; known from one site in wet forest.

Elevation Range: ca. 1,130 m.