Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Sprawling perennial herbs or vines.

Stems: Stems densely to occasionally sparsely retrorsely strigose.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate to broadly ovate, (7–)8.5–15.5 cm long, (3–)4–8 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base broadly cuneate to truncate or rarely some of them subcordate. Surfaces sparsely to moderately long–strigose to strigillose (hairs longer and more dense along midvein of lower surface), rarely only strigillose along veins. Margins crenate–serrate. Petioles 1.4–4 cm long, densely to sparsely antrorsely strigose. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 6–10 per verticillaster, sometimes 12 in the lowermost verticillasters, in unbranched,terminal, racemose inflorescences 10–20 cm long, pedicels (3–)4–8 mm long, pubescence variable, usually a mixture of antrorse and retrorse, strigose and hispidulous pubescence, occasionally one or the other type predominant, bracts ovate, 8–28 mm long, lowermost pair larger, usually 50–95 mm long. Calyx broadly obconical, 3–5(–6) mm long, enlarging in fruit, antrorsely strigose (hairs usually with small pustulate bases), sometimes hairs confined primarily to conspicuous veins, usually 5-toothed, the teeth broadly deltate, 0.7–1.8 mm long, apex rounded to obtuse or rarely acute, splitting longitudinally, usually persistent or sometimes only ventral 1/2 persistent. Corolla bilabiate, white, tinged pale pink to pink, tub narrowly funnelform, curved, ca. 7–12 mm long, densely antrorsely strigose (hairs with pustulate bases), upper lip ca. 2.5–3.5 mm long, entire or 2-lobed, flat or concave, lower lip ca. 6–8.5 mm long, 3-lobed, 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; ovules 1 per ovary lobe, placentation basal-axile; 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.2.5–4 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:

Habitat: Occurring in wet forest.

Elevation Range: 750–1,230(–1,900) m.