Rhizomatous subshrub, often repent, usually 1-3 (rarely to 0.5) dm  tall, crushed stems, leaves, and fruits often with wintergreen odor;  mature stems subterete, striate, puberulent, glabrate, reddish-brown;  twigs subterete to complanate, striate, puberulent, often bearing internodal bracteoles similar to those described below;  buds ovate, complanate, scales several.  Leaves coriaceous, elliptic, ovate, oblong-elliptic, rarely slightly broadest above the middle, (1-)1.5-2.6(-3.5) x (0.7-)1-2 cm, base rounded or obtuse, apex acute and obtusely callose-apiculate, basically flat but margin slightly recurved and serrate (often bluntly), glabrous on both surfaces;  midrib usually plane in basal half, but raised distally above, raised and conspicuous beneath, lateral nerves (2-4 per side) and reticulate veinlets raised on both surfaces;  petiole subterete, flat to canaliculate above, 1-3(-4) mm long, glabrous or weakly puberulent.  Inflorescence axillary, flowers solitary;  pedicel subterete, striate, 4-12 mm long, puberulent and also (especially distally) with few, scattered, short (ca. 0.1-0.2 mm long), gland-tipped setae;  bracteoles ca. 8-10, scattered along and obscuring pedicel, membranous, clasping, decussate, striate, ovate, 3-6 x 2.5-4 mm, acuminate to obtuse, ciliolate; floral bract similar to bracteoles but broadly ovate, and much smaller, ca. 1.5 mm long and broad, acute.  Flowers with calyx (4-)5.5-6.5 mm long, lobes ovate, (3-)5-5.2 x 2-2.5 mm, long-acuminate, glabrous without (pilose apically, or with glandular setae), sparsely pilose within, densely ciliolate apically;  corolla urceolate, 5-angled when fresh, strongly constricted at throat, 7-8(-10) x 4-5(-6.5) mm, glabrous without (bearing scattered, ca. 0.3 mm long, glandular setae along angles) and within, pink to dark rose, lobes oblong to ovate, obtuse;  stamens 4-4.5 mm long;  filaments 3-3.6 mm long, glabrous, sparsely pilose, or basally ciliate;  anthers ca. 1.1-1.3 mm long, awns very short, sometimes anthers ± distally bifid only;  ovary glabrous to weakly pilose;  style 4-5 mm long, glabrous.  Fruiting calyx globose, 8-14 mm diam., glabrous, white.  Chromosome number: n=11, 2n=22 (Luteyn & Cotton 11153).

     Distribution (Map).  Southern Colombia to southern Ecuador in grass páramo and sheltered páramo thickets, cloud forest edge, and moist slopes at elevations of 3040-3800(-4000) m.  Flowering and fruiting occur throughout the season.

    Cultivated:  K.