Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, 1.5 m tall;  stem terete, ribbed, striate, violet- to grayish-brown, glarous to short-pilose and glabrate;  twigs terete to subterete, striate, copiously short-pilose, persistent or glabrate.  Leaves coriaceous, ovate to ovate-oblong, 2.5-5 x 1.5-3 cm, base obtuse, rounded or subtruncate, apex acute, short- or long-acuminate or somewhat cuspidate, margin slightly thinner than lamina, slightly revolute especially at base, weakly serrate-crenate, glabrous or weakly short-pilose on both surfaces especially along midrib, also with scattered glandular fimbriae to 1 mm long on both surfaces but especially beneath, glabrate;  5-plinerved from near the base, sometimes obscurely so and then appearing pinnately nerved, midrib plane to impressed above and raised beneath, lateral nerves impressed proximally becoming plane and obscure distally above, raised beneath, reticulate veinlets obscure above but slightly raised beneath;  petiole terete to subterete, flattened above, rugose, 2.5-4 mm long, short-pilose or essentially glabrous, glandular-fimbriate.  Inflorescence axillary, racemose, 5-7-flowered;  rachis subterete, angled, ribbed, 3-6 cm long (including a 2-4 cm long peduncle), short-pilose, with scattered glandular fimbriae;  floral bract caducous, but seemingly ovate-deltate, 2-3 mm long;  pedicel terete, rugose, 8-20 mm long, glabrous or densely short-pilose and glabrate;  bracteoles located toward apex or at or just below middle of pedicel, papyraceous, lanceolate, 4-5 mm long, sparsely puberulent and also margined with a few short glandular fimbriae.  Flowers with calyx articulate, essentially glabrous or short-pilose all over, 10-15 mm long and 12 mm diam. distally;  hypanthium cylindric, rugose, (sometimes appearing obscurely 10-costate or even 5-winged in Ollgaard 99789), truncate, 4-5 mm long;  limb papyraceous, campanulate to cylindric-campanulate, 6-8 mm long;  lobes ovate to ovate-deltate, acuminate to conspicuously acuminate-aristate, prominently reticulately veined, 3-6 x 4-5 mm, sometimes short-pilose within, ciliolate at tips, marginally glandular-fimbriate distally and "torn" proximally;  sinuses acute;  corolla thin-carnose, cylindric, not basally ventricose, (40-)55-60 mm long and 7-9 mm diam. at base, glabrous or densely short-pilose, bright red with blackish inner lobe surfaces, the lobes lanceolate, 15-27 mm long;  stamen 10, ca. 50-54 mm long;  filaments connate over entire length, 6-10 mm long, glabrous or pilose distally;  anthers alternately slightly unequal, ca. (38-)43-50 mm long;  thecae alternately slightly unequal, much shorter than the tubules, 7-10 mm long, basally elongated and strongly incurved;  tubules 34-42 mm long, dehiscing by oblique pores 1-2 mm long;  style about as long as corolla, glabrous.  Berry not seen.

    Distribution.  Endemic to Ecuador, and only known from 7 collections;  montane forest at 1870-3350 m altitude.