Terrestrial shrub to 2 m tall or hemiepiphytic climber with branches to 3 m long;  stem terete to subterete, striate, glabrous;  twigs subterete, complanate, striate, glabrous, often bracteate above nodes with tightly imbricate, subcoriaceous, oblong, obtuse, striate bracts 3-11 mm long.  Leaves in whorles of 3-5, coriaceous, ovate-elliptic, 8-19 x 3.5-10.5 cm, base rounded to cuneate or subattenuate, decurrent onto petiole, apex acuminate, margin entire and slightly revolute, glabrous or minutely puberulous above near the base;  5-7 (-9)-plinerved from base, midrib thickened and raised in proximal 2 cm, then distally along with lateral nerves impressed above and conspicuously raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised or plane to impressed above and raised beneath;  petiole terete, 4-5 mm long, glabrous.  Inflorescence axillary, usually 2-4 per axil, racemose, to 20-flowered, surrounded by a series of oblong or ovate, obtuse, to ca. 8 x ca. 4 mm long bracts;  rachis 5-16 cm long, glabrous;  floral bract subcoriaceous, oblong, subacute, striate, 10-12 x 5-6 mm;  pedicel subterete, striate, 6-10 mm long, glabrous;  bracteoles basal, ovate, acute-acuminate, ca. 2 x 2 mm, striate, glabrous.  Flowers with calyx glabrous or rarely puberulent, ca. 10-11 mm long;  hypanthium ureceolate, ca. 5-5.5 mm long, the wings fleshy, narrowly semi-ovate, ca. 1 mm broad;  limb erect, striate, ca. 4-5 mm long;  lobes lanceolate-triangular to oblong-triangular, acute-acuminate, striate, 4-4.5 x ca. 2 mm;  corolla membranous, 8-11 mm long, the wings semi-obovate, ca. 2 mm broad at broadest point, the lobes ovate, acute, 1-2 mm long;  stamen 7-8 mm long;  filaments seemingly connate into a tube ca. 3.2 mm long, ciliolate distally along margins and dorsally with reddish glandular hairs at connective;  anthers ca. 6 mm long including a basal ca. 0.7 mm long mucro;  thecae 2-4 mm long, being difficult to distinguish from tubules distally;  tubules ca. 2-3 mm long, shorter than thecae, dehiscing by clefts 1-1.5 mm long;  style 8-9 mm long, glabrous.  Berry not seen.

     Distribution.  Colombia and Ecuador;  tropical rain forest to premontane wet forest, at 400-1450 m altitude.

     Uses:  Cultivated at ABG, NY.