Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub to 3 m tall;  mature branches and twigs terete, weakly striate, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;  bark thin, dark reddish-brown.  Leaves stiff-coriaceous when dry, ovate, 12-17 x 6.5-10.5 cm, basally broadly rounded, sometimes subcordate, apically abruptly short-acuminate, marginally entire and slightly revolute near base, glabrous on both surfaces, but with glandular fimbriae beneath;  5-9-plinerved from the base, the midrib, lateral nerves, and reticulate veinlets conspicuously raised on both surfaces;  petioles terete, conspicuously rugose, 8-11 mm long and ca. 3 mm diam., glabrous.  Inflorescence axillary, racemose, 8-13-flowered;  rachis strongly angled, 6-7 cm long and 2-3 mm diam. at base, glabrous, pink when fresh;  floral bract chartaceous, ovate to elliptic-ovate, 30-45 x 20-30 mm, apically obtuse to rounded, glabrous, dark scarlet when fresh;  pedicel subterete, ribbed to bluntly angled, 9-10 mm long, glabrous;  bracteoles nearly basal, oblong-lanceolate, acute, ca. 1.5 mm long, glandular-callose the distal one-half, glabrous.  Flowers with calyx glabrous, green to suffused with pink when fresh, 10-15 mm long;  hypanthium cylindric, coarsely 10-ribbed, 4-5 mm long, basally apophysate and deeply lobed with lobes pointing back;  limb cylindric to distally slightly spreading, conspicuously striate, 6-10 mm long;  lobes triangular, 2-3 mm long, erect after anthesis, completely glandular-callose in distal one-half, green and viscid when fresh;  corolla cylindric, slightly constricted at throat, somewhat translucent when dry, 32-36 mm long and ca. 8 mm diam., glabrous, pearl-white and nitid when fresh, the lobes triangular, obtuse, ca. 1-2 mm long, white with the margins purple;  stamens 29 mm long;  filaments ventrally moderately short-pilose, alternately 6 mm and 10 mm long;  anthers alternately 27 mm and 21 mm long;  thecae 9-12 mm long;  style ca. 30-34 mm long.  Berry not seen.

    Distribution.  Endemic to Colombia and known only from Antioquia Department.  Rare and endangered.