Terrestrial or epiphyte shrub, often unbranched, to 3 m tall;  stem terete to complanate, striate, glabrous to densely white pilose with hairs ca. 0.6 mm long, glabrate;  twigs subterete, complanate, bluntly angled, striate, densely shrt-pilose to glabrous.  Leaves coriaceous, amplexicaul, ovate to elliptic-ovate, (4-)8-15 x (2-)4-8 cm, base rounded, deeply cordate, the auricles sometimes imbricate, apex short-acuminate to acute or obtuse, margin entire and flat, appressed or spreading short-pilose above and glabrate or remaining along midrib with age, densely spreading short-pilose beneath and usually persisting along major nerves;  5-7(-9)-plinerved with principal nerves red beneath when fresh and inner pair of lateral nerves arising well above base, midrib and lateral nerves impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets impressed above and raised beneath but obscure on both surfaces;  petiole subterete, rugose, stout, 3-6 mm long and 3-5 mm diam., glabrous to densely short-pilose.  Inflorescence axillary, racemose, (3-)10-15-flowered;  rachis (sometimes branched near base) subterete, bluntly angled, striate, congested, 2-5 cm long, densely white pilose sometimes lanate;  floral bract concave, oblong to lanceolate, rounded to long-acuminate, sometimes conspicuously reticulately nerved, (7-)10-18 x ca. 3-8 mm, rarely transitional and leaf-like to 35 mm, pilose, ciliate, marginally with few glandular fimbriae proximally;  pedicel subterete, often flattened and angled, stout, conspicuously striate, 15-28 mm long and 4-5 mm basal diam., elongating to 60 mm, pilose;  bracteoles located at or just below the middle of pedicel to rarely basal, membranous, lanceolate, long-acuminate, conspicuously reticulately nerved, (6-)15-25 x ca. 5 mm, pilose dorsally, marginally ciliate and with scattered glandular fimbriae.  Flowers with calyx articulate, 15-30 mm long, densely short-pilose, sometimes lanate;  hypanthium cylindric-obconic, conspicuously broadly and bluntly 10-costate, 5-9 mm long;  limb erect-spreading, membranous, 10-22 mm long, sometimes very irregularly splitting and lobed;  lobes broadly triangular to ovate-lanceolate, conspicuously reticulately nerved, acuminate, 10-20 x 4-14 mm long, weakly pilose, ciliate, marginally with few glandular fimbriae;  sinuses acute;  corolla thick-carnose, cylindric or obscurely pentagonal, basally slightly ventricose, narrowing distally, 45-58 mm long and 12-20 mm diam., glabrous at very base but usually densely short-pilose distally, bright red, the lobes spreading and recurved, linear-lanceolate, 15-25 mm long, dark purple-black within;  stamen 10, alternately slightly unequal, 40-49 mm long;  filaments distinct, about equal, 6-9 mm long, glabrous or sparsely short-pilose ventrally distally top;  anthers alternately slightly unequal, 37-44 mm long;  thecae alternately slightly  unequal, 14-20 mm long;  tubules nearly equal, distinct to base or fused half to nearly entire length, longer than thecae, 19-26 mm long, dehiscing by short, oblique, sometimes slightly flaring pores, 1-1.5 mm long;  style about equalling the corolla, glabrous.  Berry spherical, ca. 20 mm diam., capped by persistent calyx limb, dark violet.

    Distribution.  Endemic to Ecuador;  premontane, montane wet to cloud forest, and subpáramo at 1165-3700 m altitude.

    Local name:  chaquilulu.