Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs 1–7 m tall.

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

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite, borne usually on upper 3–5 nodes. Those leaves of a pair somewhat unequal to subequal, asymmetrical to symmetrical, very broadly elliptic to suborbicular or occasionally very broadly ovate, (5–)9–27 cm long, (2–)3–8(–9.5) cm wide. Apex acuminate, occasionally obtuse or rounded. Base truncate to broadly cuneate. Upper surfaces sparsely to moderately hirtellous; lower surfaces moderately velvety pilose, the veins villous, the hairs yellowish brown, blades chartaceous. Margins denticulate to subentire or sometimes serrate. Petioles (1–)3–10 cm long, base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers (2)3–5 in open umbelliform cymes arising in the leaf axils, densely villous throughout, peduncles 10–50(–70) mm long, pedicels 10–30 mm long, elongating to 30–50 mm long in fruit, bracts large, whitish green, foliaceous, asymmetrical, narrowly ovate, distinct or occasionlly connate, (9–)15–100 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, nearly actinomorphic, whitish green, broadly saucer-shaped, often reflexed in fruit, 8–19 mm long, cleft ca. 1⁄2–⅔ its length, the lobes deltate to ovate, both surfaces densely villous, apex acuminate to caudate. Corolla usually bilabiate, white, tube cylindrical, flaring slightly at mouth, 14–16 mm long, ca. 5–7 mm in diameter medially, densely villous, the lobes erect to slightly spreading, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in bud, upper lobes broadly rhomboid, 2–3 mm long, 3.5–5 mm wide, lower lobes broadly ovate, 3–5 mm long, 3.5–5.5 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, moderately villous, apex rounded or with a stylar beak; style ca. 3–4 mm long, densely villous; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit a fleshy or firm berry; white; ovoid; 1.5–2 cm long; densely villous; often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds numerous; ellipsoid; 0.5–0.6 mm long; the surface reticulate.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring in moist; shaded gulch–bottoms in disturbed mesic valleys to diverse mesic forest and wet forest.

Elevation Range: 460–1,100 m.