Epiphytic shrub, completely glabrous;  stem terete or subterete, smooth to striate.  Leaves lance-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 6.5-10(-15) x 2.5-4(-5.5) cm, base cuneate to short- or long-attenuate, rarely ± rounded but then also short-attenuate, lamina often conspicuously involute causing petiole to appear winged, apically bluntly acuminate;  3-5-plinerved from at or near base, midrib slightly thickened proximally and impressed above, inner pair of lateral nerves impressed to midway becoming plane to slightly raised distally, outer pair plane to slightly raised, reticulate veinlets raised above, all nerves conspicuously raised beneath;  petiole subterete, rugose, 4-9 mm long and 1.5-2 mm diam.  Inflorescence 20-35-flowered, racemose although rarely once-branched at base;  rachis subterete, smooth or striate, 13-17 cm long and 1.5-2 mm basal diam.;  floral bract caducous, somewhat cucullate, oblong, 2.5-3(-7) x ca. 3 mm, apically rounded, green;  pedicel subterete often sharply angled, thin, 10-18 mm long and ca. 0.5 mm diam.;  bracteoles ovate to hemispheric, ca. 0.2 m long, marginally bearing stout sessile fimbriae ca. 0.2 mm long, these fimbriae often fusing laterally.  Flowers with calyx 2.7-3.3 mm long;  hypanthium campanulate, smooth, 1.2-2.2 mm long, basally rounded;  limb erecto-patent, 1.2-1.6 mm long;  lobes apiculate, deltate, 0.2-0.6 mm long, ± connivent after anthesis, marginally with one large oblong to crescent-shaped callose gland on each side often obscuring the lobe itself;  sinuses complanate or broadly rounded;  corolla cylindric to conical-cylindric, basally swollen, 7-10(-11) mm long, "red" or whitish at base and purplish-violet distally, the lobes triangular, 0.6-1 mm long, reflexed at anthesis;  stamen 6.3-8.2 mm long;  filaments usually distinct, but rarely fused at very base, glabrous or weakly pilose along margin, alternately 1.2-2 mm and 2.2-3 mm long;  anthers alternately 5.6-6.8 mm and 4.7-5.5 mm long;  thecae alternately 1.7-2 mm and 1.3-1.7 mm long;  style 8-9 mm long, usually exserted at anthesis.  Mature berry not seen.

    Distribution (Map).  Colombia and Ecuador;  tidal forest and mangrove swamps to tropical moist, wet and rainforest at 0-900 m altitude.  Rare.