Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs 1–4 m tall.

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

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Whorled 3–4 per node, rarely opposite, borne on upper 3–8 nodes. Leaves at a node unequal to subequal, symmetrical or nearly so. Blades narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 9–28 cm long, (1.3–)2–6.3 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base attenuate. Upper surfaces glabrous except for the sparsely pilose midrib; lower surfaces sparsely pilose especially along the veins; blades thin or sometimes thick, chartaceous. Margins serrulate to subentire, occasionally serrate in upper 1⁄2. Upper surface with scarcely impressed veins, lower surface with scarcely raised veins. Petioles 1–6.2 cm long, base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 1–3 in sometimes compound cymes arising in the leaf axils, sparsely brown pilose throughout, peduncles slender, 1–3(–9) mm long, pedicels 3–8 mm long, bracts foliaceous, elliptic, 18–41 mm long, connate 1⁄2 their length but divided deeper on inner side, each one sometimes 2-lobed, deciduous after anthesis. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx zygomorphic, narrowly fusiform in bud; tipped by a beak 10–17 mm long, in anthesis pale green, thin, splitting along 1 suture, 23–40 mm long, deciduous after anthesis, tube spathaceous,12–17 mm long, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs, occasionally shaggy dark brown pilose within, deciduous or persistent in fruit, upper 3 lobes 13–21 mm long, tardily separating, lower 2 lobes 6–15 mm long, tardily separating. Corolla usually bilabiate, white, usually fleshy, campanulate to salverform, tube subcylindrical, curved near the middle, 20–31mm long, ca. 5 mm in diameter medially, glabrous, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, upper lobes broadly elliptic, 6.5–8 mm long, 5.5–6 mm wide, lower lobes broadly elliptic, 8–17 mm long, 6–11 mm wide, lobes imbricate in bud. 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, glabrous, oblong–ovoid, 2-carpellate, 1-celled, placentation parietal, placentas 2, ± intruded, rarely joined in center and dividing ovary into 2 cells; ovules numerous, anatropous, pubescent or glabrous, apex rounded or with a stylar beak; style 13–15 mm long, with a few scattered hairs; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit a fleshy or firm berry; white; subcylindrical; curved; 3–10 cm long; glabrous; often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds numerous; ellipsoid; minute; 0.25–0.35 mm long; glabrous; the surface reticulate; endosperm present or absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring in disturbed mesic valleys.

Elevation Range: 120–600 m.