Terrestrial shrub to 3 m tall;  stems subterete, bluntly angled, striate, glabrous but black glandular-punctate.  Leaves oblong-elliptic or lanceolate, (7.5-)12-18(-27) x (3-)5-7(-12) cm, basally rounded, obtuse, or short-attenuate, apically acuminate often abruptly short-acuminate, glabrous but densely glandular-fimbriate beneath, appearing reddish-punctate after fimbriae break off;  5(-7)-plinerved with inner pair of lateral nerves arising 2-3 cm above base, midrib conspicuously raised and thickened through proximal 2-3 cm otherwise thin and impressed above and raised beneath, lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate, veinlets raised on both surfaces but inconspicuous beneath;  petioles terete, rugose, 7-12(-19) mm long and 2.5-3(-4.5) mm in diam., glabrous.  Inflorescence potentially 125-140-flowered but with seemingly only 1-2 flowers open at any given time, frequently two inflorescences per axil with the inflorescence basally encircled by numerous ovate to obovate bracts to 25 mm long and broad;  rachis subterete, bluntly angled, internodes congested, glabrous, ca. 7 mm long when first flowering but elongating to 35 cm and still flowering towards the tip, old rachises found as long as 52 cm, averaging 4-5 mm diam.;  floral bracts subcoriaceous, subpersistent, appressed to the flowers and seemingly falling with fruit, oblong to ovate, 25 mm long and broad, basally truncate, apically rounded, marginally eglandular, glabrous, punctate with minute spherical glands, bright red when fresh;  pedicels subterete, 4 mm long and in diam., glabrous but densely glandular with nearly spherical minute fimbriae;  bracteoles basal, tightly enclosing hypanthium and thus imbricate, similar to floral bracts except 17 mm long and broad, marginally weakly glandular-fimbriate.  Flowers:  calyx glabrous, 25-27 mm long;  hypanthium cylindric, smooth, 7-8 mm long and 9-10 mm in diam., basally truncate;  limb cylindric ca. 19-20 mm long;  lobes imbricate, oblong, obtuse, 18-19 mm long, erect and tightly imbricate after anthesis, marginally scarious and seemingly glandular over entire length, also punctate as bracts;  corolla cylindric but slightly swollen basally, nearly completely enclosed by calyx lobes with only the distal few millimeters showing, glabrous, 21-22 mm long and ca. 8 mm in diam., white, lobes oblong, acute 2 mm long and broad, flaring at anthesis;  stamens 15-16.5 mm long;  filaments densely short-pilose distal 1/2-1/3, alternately 3-3.7 mm and 5-6 mm long;  anthers alternately 14-14.5 mm and 12-12.5 mm long;  thecae 6.5-7 mm long;  style ca. 20-21 mm long.  Berry not seen.

    Distribution (Map).  Endemic to Colombia, along the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Central east of Medellín (Antioquia Dept.), in dense and wet remnant forest and in thickets along pasture edge, at elevations of 1900-2700 m. Rare and endangered.