Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Lianas to scandent subshrubs.

Stems: Stems moderately to densely retrorsely strigose, conspicuously more densely so at nodes and petiole bases, glabrate with age.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate to narrowly ovate or elliptic–ovate, (7.5–)9–16 cm long, 3–6.4 cm wide. Apex short-acuminate. Base cuneate to truncate. Upper surfaces sparsely to moderately strigose; lower surfaces moderately to densely strigose, especially along veins, Blade subcoriaceous. Margins crenate–serrate. Petioles 1.5–5.5 cm long, densely antrorsely strigose. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 6 per verticillaster, in congested, unbranched, terminal, bracteate, racemose inflorescences 10–15 cm long, eventually elongating further in fruit, pedicels 6–12 mm long, spreading to somewhat antrorsely appressed hispidulous, upper bracts ovate to suborbicular, 7–18(–25) mm long, lowermost pair much larger, narrowly ovate, (20–)35–55 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect) or sometimes unisexual (and then plants gynodioecious or rarely dioecious), usually fragrant; strongly fragrant. Calyx obconical, (6–)8–12 mm long, enlarging in fruit, antrorsely strigose, nerves conspicuous, usually 5-toothed, lobes oblong, (2.5–)3.5–5 mm long, usually spreading or reflexed, apex rounded, splitting longitudinally, usually persistent or sometimes only ventral 1/2 persistent. Corolla bilabiate, white, often tinged lavender, tube narrowly funnelform, slightly curved, (15–)20–25 mm long, densely antrorsely strigose throughout, upper lip entire or 2-lobed, flat or concave, ca. 7–9 mm long, apex emarginate, lower lip 3-lobed ca. 14–18 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. 6 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: 2n = 64*

Habitat: Relatively common; especially near open cloud swept summits; in mesic to wet forest.

Elevation Range: 300–1,230 m.