Densely-branching, low, wiry shrub;  stem terete, striate, nitid, castaneous, glabrate;  twigs subterete, bluntly angled, nodes swollen, striate, densely strigose with ferruginous hairs or short-pilose with white hairs.  Leaves densely congested, wide-spreading to reflexed, subsessile, linear-oblong to elliptic-oblong, 3.3-10 x 0.7-2 mm, base obtuse, apex narrowing and subacute, margin entire, glabrous or sometimes ciliolate, young leaves sometimes tufted-pilose at apex;  obscurely 3-5-plinerved from base, midrib plane or slightly raised above, lateral nerves usually plane and obscure above but sometimes raised, all nerves slightly raised beneath and conspicuous (at 6x magnification);  petiole subterete, broadly flattened above, ca. 0.4 mm long, glabrous.  Inflorescence of solitary, subsessile, essentially glabrous flowers, surrounded at the base by a series of ovate, acute bracts to 2 mm long;  floral bract ovate, acute to acuminate, ca. 1-1.5 mm long, ciliate;  pedicel subterete, less than 0.5 mm long;  bracteoles covering the calyx up to the base of the lobes at anthesis, striate, broadly ovate, acute to rounded, or short-acuminate, 1.8-2.2 mm long and broad, scarious, ciliate.  Flowers 4-merous, with calyx ca. 2.7-3 mm long;  hypanthium obconic, 0.7-1 mm long, glabrous;  limb erect-spreading, ca. 2-2.3 mm long;  lobes striate, triangular, acute, ca. 1.3-1.5 x 1 mm, the apex tufted setose, the margins distally ciliate;  sinuses acute;  corolla subcylindric, 5--6 mm long and ca. 2.5 mm diam., glabrous without but apparently puberulent within, also bearing a few scattered glandular fimbriae, red to pink, the lobes spreading and strongly reflexed so as to expose stamen, oblong-deltate, bluntly acute, ca. 1-1.2 mm long, sometimes the tips sparsely tufted-pilose, sometimes darker rose-red to purple;  stamen 8, equalling corolla, but apparently slightly unequal, ca. 5-5.4 mm long;  filaments equal or alternately slightly unequal, ca. 2.3-2.6 mm long, sparsely pilose distally;  anthers equal or alternately slightly unequal, ca. 2.5-3.3 mm long;  thecae ca. 1-1.5 mm long;  tubules 2, distinct, ca. 1.5-1.8 mm long, dehiscing by wide clefts ca. 1-1.2 mm long;  style exserted, glabrous;  nectariferous disc annular-pulvinate, glabrous.  Berry translucent white.

    Distribution.  Colombia and N Ecuador;  premontane rainforest, montane wet forest, perhumid forest at 660-1450 m altitude.

    The Panamanian Disterigma fortunense Wilbur may belong here.

    Local names:  Ecuador: gualbadea, pasino, téopve-vish (Coaiquer).

    Uses:  medicinally plant crushed into a paste and placed on forehead against fever.