Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs 1.5–2 m tall.

Stems: Stems apparently unbranched or with a few short side branches, rounded to angular, pubescent with multicellular hairs or glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. In whorls of (3)4 per node, borne on upper 3–8 nodes. Those at a node unequal to subequal, symmetrical or nearly so, elliptic to elliptic–oblong or occasionally elliptic–ovate, 6–17.5 cm long, 1.5–4.8 cm wide. Apex acuminate to attenuate. Base cuneate to attenuate. Upper surfaces sparsely bullate hirsute; lower surfaces sparsely hirtellous, occasionally the hairs confined to the principal veins or glabrate; blades chartaceous(?). Margins coarsely and unevenly doubly serrate. Petioles 1.2–5.6 cm long, brownish hirtellous. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 1–2(3) in cymes arising in the leaf axils, moderately to densely brownish hirtellous, peduncles 8–12 mm long, pedicels 12–16 mm long, bracts minute to large and foliaceous, distinct or occasionally connate, lanceolate, ca. 6 mm long, those of pedicels smaller. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, nearly actinomorphic, probably white when fresh, 12–16 mm long, cleft 1⁄2–¼ its length, after anthesis splitting to base, the lobes foliaceous, lanceolate, moderately hirtelIous to villous, glabrous within, apex attenuate, the tube spathaceous or variously cleft into equal or unequal lobes, deciduous or persistent in fruit. Corolla usually bilabiate, white, usually fleshy, tube subcylindrical, flaring somewhat at mouth, slightly curved, ca. 12 mm long, moderately villous, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in bud, upper lobes rhombic, ca. 4–5 mm long, ca. 4 mm wide, lower lobes broadly rhombic–orbicular, ca. 5–6 mm long, ca. 5–7 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, ovary glabrous or with a few scattered hairs, 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 ca. 6 mm long, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Berries fleshy or firm; white; ovoid; ca. 1.5–1.8 cm long; often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds unknown.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Apparently rare and local in wet forest.

Elevation Range: 760–1,160 m.