Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Apparently suberect perennial herbs.

Stems: Stems moderately to densely antrorsely strigose and sparsely glandular–dotted.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate to elliptic–ovate, 9–22 cm long, 3.7–10 cm wide. Apex obtuse to rounded or occasionally acute. Base rounded to truncate or rarely subcordate. Upper surfaces sparsely short–hirtellous to antrorsely strigillose, more densely so along veins; lower surfaces short–hirtellous to antrorsely strigose, densely so along veins, and inconspicuously glandular–dotted; blades thin. Margins crenate. Petioles (2.5–)4–7.5 cm long, densely to moderately antrorsely strigose. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers (4)6 per verticillaster, in short, compact, compound, terminal, racemose inflorescences ca. 6–8 cm long, usually consisting of the principal axis and 2 lateral branches immediately below, pedicels 1–3 mm long, densely antrorsely strigose, and hairs straight to slightly crinkly, 0.1–0.5 mm long, also with scattered spreading hairs (of similar length), also glandular–dotted, bracts narrowly oblanceolate, 2–3(–11) mm long, lowermost pair larger, ovate, 13–45 mm long. Calyx obconical, 3–3.5 mm long, enlarging in fruit, nerves conspicuous, moderately antrorsely strigose (hairs sometimes somewhat spreading), conspicuously glandular–dotted, usually 5-toothed, the teeth deltate, 0.6–1 mm long, apex acute, splitting longitudinally, usually persistent or sometimes only ventral 1/2 persistent. Corolla bilabiate, probably white, tube narrowly funnelform, slightly curved, ca. 6–10 mm long, antrorsely strigose and glandular–dotted, upper lip entire or 2-lobed, flat or concave, ca.2–2.5 mm long, lower lip 3-lobed, ca. 3.5–5 mm long, lateral lobes ovate, slightly asymmetrical, lower lobe broadly ovate to suborbicular, slightly folded to form a groove, margins somewhat undulate, apex emarginate or entire; nectary disk often present at base of ovary, annular or developed on anterior side only. Stamens 4, both pairs of similar length or upper pair slightly longer, ascending the upper corolla lip, included, aligned with the sinuses; filaments inserted near throat, usually pubescent; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits; anther sacs divaricate. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, placentation basal-axile; ovules 1 per ovary lobe; style 1, included, arising between lobes, shortly 2-lobed, the lobes clavate; stigmatic only at apex, 1 lobe often rudimentary; stigmas 2.

Fruit: Nutlets ca. 2 mm long; 1-seeded; dark green to black; drupaceous; exocarp fleshy; obovoid; margins slightly winged; obliquely attached at the connate base; spreading and exserted from calyx at maturity. Seeds with endosperm absent or scanty and oily.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Known from mesic gulches.

Elevation Range: 680–730 m.