Epiphytic shrub 7-10 dm tall or terrestrial and 1-3 m tall;  stem base to 2.5 cm in diam.;  mature branches terete, smooth or minutely striate, glabrous, green but drying tan to reddish-brown, usually with a thin, whitish waxy layer over the branches;  bark reddish-brown;  immature branches and twigs of the new growth subterete to bluntly angled, striate, often coarsely ridged, glabrous reddish-brown when dry.  Leaves lanceolate to lance-elliptic, (3-)5-9(-11) x (1-)2-4 cm, basally obtuse or rounded, lamina often short-decurrent along the petiole, apically short-acuminate, often abruptly so, grayish- to brownish-green when dry, glabrous or often with numerous short trichomes at the base of the midrib adaxially, usually soon glabrate;  5(-7)-plinerved, the midrib plane or more commonly weakly impressed above, the lateral nerves usually raised and conspicuous, rarely weakly impressed above, the veinlets all raised and conspicuous to obscure above, the nerves raised beneath but the veinlets obscure;  petioles subterete, usually flattened adaxially, rugose and often coarsely ridged, 7-13 mm long and 1.5-2 mm in diam., glabrous to weakly pilose adaxially when young, often glabrate when mature.  Inflorescence (2-)3-6(-9)-flowered, obconic to spherical in bud;  rachis flattened, bluntly angled, striate, viscid, glabrous, (0.3-)0.6-1.2(-3.2) cm long, pale green, usually with minute cartilaginous teeth at the base;  floral bracts usually translucent when dry, (1.5-)2-3(-4) x 0.5-1(-2) cm, glabrous, smooth or rarely slightly ribbed, usually with minute, red, glandular fimbriae abaxially, oblong to oblanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, basally narrowed and somewhat auriculate, apically rounded or obtuse, usually emarginate, or when young with the notch almost completely filled with callose tissue, pale green, but suffused with pink along the margins and at the base, drying green;  pedicels swollen distally, ridged, glabrous (6-)8-13(-15) mm long and (0.5-)1-1.5 mm in diam., pale green to cream colored and often suffused with pink, occasionally with cartilaginous teeth at the distal end;  bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 1-2.5(-3) x 0.5-1 mm, apically acuminate and glandular callose-thickened on the distal 1/2-2/3, pale green.  Flowers with the calyx glabrous, 5-7(-10) mm long, pale green but sometimes suffused with pink;  hypanthium cylindric, weakly rugose, strongly ribbed, (1.5-)2-3(-4) mm long, basally apophysate and deeply lobed, the lobes straight, extending to or just below the pedicel articulation;  limb campanulate to cylindric, smooth or weakly ribbed and minutely papillate when dry, (2.5-)3.5-4.5(-6) mm long including the lobes;  lobes triangular, (0.7-)1-1.5(-2) x 2-3 mm, sometimes flaring outward at anthesis, later erect, glandular callose-thickened throughout or only for the distal 2/3;  sinuses obtuse, broadly rounded or flat;  corolla slightly constricted basally, narrowed to the throat, often translucent when dry, 20-24(-30) mm long and 5-7 mm in diam., glabrous or rarely pilose, whitish at the base and the apex, otherwise pinkish-violet to rose-red, the lobes triangular or oblong, acute, ca. 1 mm long, reflexed at anthesis, the tips often callose-thickened, white with pinkish or violet margins;  stamens 19-24.5 mm long; filaments densely pilose, alternately 2.5-5 mm and 5-10 mm long, pale green;  anthers including tubules alternately 13-20 mm and 17-22 mm long, tawny;  thecae 4.5-7 mm long;  style 22-29 mm long, green.  Berry ca. 9 mm in diam.

    Distribution (Map).  Endemic to western Panama (Chiriquí and Veraguas Prov.), in cloud forest, at elevations of 1100-2600 m.  Flowering occurs from December to August;  immature fruits have been collected in March.