Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Scandent or decumbent vines.

Stems: Stems terete (cylindrical), glabrous except at nodes.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate, 3.2–6.4 cm long, 1.6–3.6 cm wide. Apex acute. Base cordate. Surfaces glabrous. blades subcoriaceous. Margins broadly crenate. Sessile. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 2–4 per verticillaster, axillary, pedicels 8–9 mm long. Calyx tubular, 2-lobed, 11–17 mm long at anthesis, enlarging in fruit, glabrous, the teeth acute, 4.5–8 mm long, ca. 2.5 mm wide at base., splitting longitudinally, usually persistent or sometimes only ventral 1/2 persistent. Corolla bilabiate, dark red, puberulent distally externally, tube narrowly funnelform, falcate, 20–24 mm long, upper lip ca. 4–8 mm long, entire or 2-lobed, flat or concave, lower lip ca. 2–4 mm long, 3-lobed, the lobes flat or margins revolute, ovate, of similar size, distal portion of corolla sparsely to densely pubescent externally, the hairs simple or multicellular, occasionally glandular pubescent within, otherwise glabrous; 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, included within corolla or well–exserted beyond upper lip; filaments inserted near throat, pubescent; anthers dithecal; anther sacs divaricate, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, each carpel longitudinally divided, placentation basal-axile; ovules 1 per ovary lobe; style 1, exserted, arising between lobes, usually cleft, diverging after anther dehiscence, shortly 2-lobed, the lobes subulate; stigmas 2.

Fruit: Nutlets ca. 6 mm long; 1-seeded; drupaceous; black at maturity; margins slightly winged; obliquely attached at base; included within calyx at maturity; exocarp fleshy; obovoid. Seeds with endosperm absent or scanty and oily.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring in wet forest.

Elevation Range: ca. 1,000 m.