Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Low, decumbent, fleshy subshrubs.

Stems: Stems becoming subterranean, 4–grooved at least when dry, producing adventitious roots at each node, rounded to angular, pubescent with multicellular hairs or glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Apparently opposite, appearing as a tuft on portion of stem above ground, axils with a conspicuous tuft of reddish brown hairs. Those leaves of a pair unequal, asymmetrical, broadly elliptic to elliptic or ovate, occasionally oblong–elliptic, 10–31 cm long, 2–13.5 cm wide. Apex acute to rounded. Base asymmetrical, broadly cuneate to truncate. Upper surfaces sparsely long–villous, the hairs reddish brown, glabrate with age, occasionally glabrous; lower surfaces sparsely to moderately reddish brown long–villous, occasionally glabrous except for a few scattered hairs on principal veins; fleshy. Margins crenate–serrate to serrulate. Petioles 2.5–12 cm long, densely shaggy or appressed brown villous, base sometimes clasping the stem or perfoliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 1–2 in cymes, these arranged in dense clusters arising in the leaf axils, moderately brown villous throughout, peduncles ca. 2–9 mm long, pedicels ca. 3–8 mm long, bracts oblong–elliptic, distinct or occasionally connate, ca. 5–8 mm long, caducous. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 2–5(6)-lobed, zygomorphic, fusiform in bud, tipped by a beak ca. 4–10 mm long, in anthesis pale green, 16–25 mm long, tube ca. 10–12 mm long, sparsely to moderately brown long–villous, glabrous within, upper 3 lobes 7–17 mm long, lower 2 lobes 6–16 mm long, tardily separating, deciduous or persistent in fruit. Corolla usually bilabiate, white, tube narrowly funnelform, curved near middle, ca. 25 mm long, glabrous, the lobes broadly elliptic–ovate(?), ca. 9–10 mm long, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes imbricate in bud. 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 ca. 3 mm long, glabrous; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, lobes usually elliptic.

Fruit: Fruit a fleshy or firm berry; cylindrical; ca. 1.6 cm long; often tipped by the persistent stylar beak. Seeds unknown.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Known from wet slopes; mossy sites or crevices in rocks near waterfalls.

Elevation Range: 540–800 m.