Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub with branches to 1.5 m long;  stems terete, weakly striate, glabrous or weakly puberulent, yellowish-brown, provided with few scattered, black globular, sessile glands ca. 0.3 mm in diam.  Leaves lanceolate, (3-)4.5-10.7 x (0.8-)1.3-3 cm, basally tapering and acute or obtuse, apically long-acuminate, margins revolute, glabrous above and glabrous or weakly hirsute along midrib beneath with hairs 0.5-0.7 mm long, upper surface provided with pustular glands similar to those on stems except these ca. 0.2 mm in diam.;  5-7-plinerved from near base or with inner pair of lateral nerves arising 2-3 cm above base, only the midrib or the midrib, lateral nerves, and reticulate veinlets strongly impressed and conspicuous above, only the midrib or midrib and lateral nerves strongly raised beneath causing leaves to be bullate;  petioles terete, rugose, glabrous or puberulent, to 5 mm long and 1.8 mm in diam., with scattered glands similar to those of the leaves.  Inflorescence 20-30-flowered, encircled at base by numerous oblong-oblanceolate sterile bracts similar to floral bracts;  rachis subterete, bluntly angled, 9.5-12 cm long and 1.5-3 mm diam., glabrous but with translucent globular glands to 0.3 mm in diam. along length but espceially near base;  floral bracts at anthesis spreading at an angle of nearly 90? from rachis and with tips reflexed, substriate, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 20-35 x 5-8 mm, apically acute or obtuse, glabrous or with a tuft of hairs with each hair ca. 0.3 mm long, pink to red when fresh, marginally bearing 8-10 green, scattered spherical to oblong subsessile glands ca. 0.1-0.2 mm in diam.;  pedicels 4-8 mm long, glabrous but with globular glands clustered at distal tip;  bracteoles located near or just below middle of pedicel, ovate-oblong, obtuse, 2-4 mm long, marginally with spherical to oblong glands similar to those of floral bracts.  Flowers:  calyx glabrous, 6-7 mm long;  hypanthium cylindric, weakly 10-ribbed, ca. 1.5-2 mm long and 3 mm diam., basally weakly apophysate, reddish to yellowish-green with a mauve hue when fresh, provided with numerous spherical glands ca. 0.2-0.3 mm in diam. around apophysis margin;  limb campanulate, smooth, ca. 4.5-5 mm long and 7 mm diam. at tip;  lobes ovate-triangular, acute, ca. 1.5-2 mm long and 3 mm broad, erect (?) after anthesis, each side flanked by an oblong callose gland ca. 1.5-1.75 mm long, these nearly contiguous or slightly connate at tip of lobe;  sinuses rounded or acute sometimes partially obscured by two spherical or short-oblong glands 0.1-0.3 mm in diam;  corolla immature but at least 20 mm long, glabrous, red to deep wine-red in bud when fresh;  stamens immature, but filaments and anthers alternately long and short;  filaments densely puberulent medially.  Berry not seen.

    Distribution (Map).  Endemic to Colombia, where it is found in humid forest and along disturbed forest edge in Antioquia and Chocó Depts., at elevations of 750-1460 m.  Rare and endangered.