Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs 1–2(–4) m tall.

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

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Whorled, 4–6 per node, borne on upper 5–10 nodes. Those leaves at a node unequal, symmetrical, elliptic–oblong to narrowly elliptic, 5.5–17 cm long, 0.7–2.5 cm wide. Apex long-acuminate. Base attenuate to auriculate-clasping. Upper surfaces glossy and glabrous; lower surfaces densely to moderately velvety short–pilose to hirtellous, sometimes pubescence nearly confined to the veins, the hairs dark rust–colored; blades thick and somewhat coriaceous. Margins serrulate and strongly revolute. Petioles 0–3 cm long, base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers pendent, 1–2 in cymes arising in the leaf axils, densely appressed hirtellous, peduncles stout, 2–8 mm long, pedicels stout, 16–36 mm long, bracts linear-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, distinct or occastionally connate, 5–7 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, nearly actinomorphic, green, 12–18 mm long, cleft to base, the lobes oblong–lanceolate, densely to sparsely appressed villous, glabrous within, apex acute, deciduous or persistent in fruit. Corolla usually bilabiate, white, tube narrowly funnelform, curved, 16–20 mm long, ca. 5–6 mm in diameter medially, nearly glabrous to densely villous, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in budm upper lobes rhombic–orbicular, ca. 5–7 mm long, 5.5–2.5 mm wide, lower lobes very broadly ovate, 6–11 mm long, 5–9 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 8–9 mm long, glabrous; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit a fleshy or firm berry; white; ovoid; 1.2–1.4 cm long; glabrous; often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds unknown.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring in wet forest.

Elevation Range: 1,130–1,270 m.