Shrub;  stems terete, nearly smooth, glabrous, reddish-brown;  vegetative bracts ensheathing twigs, lanceolate, conspicuously striate, to 40 mm long, persisting at least 2 years then decomposing and becoming fibrous.  Leaves elliptic or weakly ovate-elliptic, 8-14 x 3-8 cm, basally rounded, apically abruptly short-acuminate, marginally scarious with margins themselves crisped, glabrous but densely and minutely glandular-fimbriate beneath;  5(-7)-plinerved from base, all nerves (including midrib, lateral nerves, and reticulate veinlets) slightly impressed above and conspicuous, midrib and lateral nerves slightly raised but obscure beneath;  petioles terete, rugose, glabrous, 5-12 mm long and 2-4 mm in diam.  Inflorescence 20-30-flowered, encircled at base by numerous persistent, ovate-lanceolate, conspicuously striate bracts, the lowest bracts subtending sterile nodes;  rachis subterete, bluntly angled, glabrous, 11-13 cm long and 2-2.5 mm in diam.;  floral bracts coriaceous, smooth except the lowermost (sterile) ones conspicuously striate, oblong, elliptic, or oblanceolate, uppermost (fertile) bracts 15-20 x 8-9 mm, lowermost (sterile) 22-25 x 8-10 mm, basally truncate somewhat clasping, apically rounded although lowermost often keeled and then appearing acute, light green when fresh (fide Forero et al. 2195), tan when dry, glabrous but distally provided with numerous elliptic, slightly concave, reddish (when dry) glandular areas 0.2-0.4 mm long on abaxial surface of fertile bracts;  pedicels subterete, striate, glabrous, 3-4 mm long and 1.5 mm in diam.;  bracteoles apparently lacking.  Flowers:  calyx glabrous, 7-8 mm long;  hypanthium cylindric or pentagonal, slightly rugose, 2.5-3.5 mm long, basally with a shallow rim;  limb cylindric, ca. 4-5 mm long;  lobes deltoid, 0.8 mm long, erect after anthesis, eglandular;  sinuses broadly rounded;  corolla cylindric, glabrous, 30-31 mm long and 4-5 mm in diam., red with pink apex when fresh (fide label data), lobes oblong, obtuse, 3.5 x 2 mm;  stamens 27-28 mm long;  filaments with the longer one short-pilose in distal half, alternately 4.2 mm and 6-7 mm long;  anthers alternately 25 mm and 22 mm long;  thecae 5-6 mm long;  style ca. 30 mm long.  Berry not seen.

    Distribution (Map).  Endemic to Colombia and known only from the type location (two collections), a disturbed cloud forest area, at the Chocó/Valle Dept. border, at elevations of 2000-2100 m.  Rare and endangered.