Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Small shrubs 0.5–2(–3) m tall.

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

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite, borne on upper few nodes. Blades peltate, those of a pair unequal, asymmetrical to nearly symmetrical, very broadly ovate to suborbicular, 24–41 cm long, (8.5–)14–20 cm wide. Apex acute to acuminate. Base rounded to truncate, occasionally broadly cuneate. Upper surfaces sparsely to moderately pilose; lower surfaces moderately to densely velvety pilose, rarely sparsely so, the hairs yellowish brown; chartaceous(?). Margins coarsely dentate or serrate. Petioles inserted 1–5.5 cm from base, 7.5–19 cm long, base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 3–17 in dense umbelliform cymes arising in the axils just below the current leaves, densely villous throughout, peduncles stout, 1–35 mm long, pedicels 15–40 mm long, bracts foliaceous, broadly elliptic to broadly ovate, distinct or occasionally connate, 9–30 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, nearly actinomorphic, foliaceous, 12–32 mm long, enclosing the fruit at maturity, the lobes deltate, 2–6(–10) mm long, usually densely villous, glabrous within, apex acute to acuminate, deciduous or persistent in fruit. Corolla usually bilabiate, white, tube cylindrical, straight or curved, 13–17 mm long, ca. 3–4 mm in diameter, sparsely to moderately pilose, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in bud, upper lobes reniform, 3–5 mm long, ca. 5,5 mm wide, lower lobes very broadly rhombic, 3–7 mm long, 6–8 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 5–10 mm long, glabrous; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit a fleshy or firm berry white; subglobose; 0.7–0.9 cm long (immature?); often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds unknown.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Known from scattered localities in diverse mesic forest; often on rock walls.

Elevation Range: 120–620 m.