Erect shrub ca. 30 cm tall;  mature stem terete, smooth to somewhat ribbed, glabrous;  bark thin, cracking longitudinally and exfoliating;  twigs subterete to angled, ribbed, striate, white puberulent and also hirsute with ascending to spreading, basally swollen, straight to crisped, minutely gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs to 3 mm long, glabrate;  buds ovoid, scales ovate to suborbicular, acute, ciliate.  Leaves coriaceous, ovate, elliptic- to linear-ovate, (2-)3.6-4.5 x 0.6-1.1 cm, base acute to cuneate, apex acuminate with a blunt, glandular mucro, serrate, with each tooth terminating in a deciduous, basally swollen, translucent, gland-tipped hair to 1.5 mm long, lamina glabrous to weakly puberulent at base along midrib, otherwise glabrous above, sparsely hirsute beneath with basally swollen, straight or distally crisped, eglandular, ferruginous hairs to 1.5 mm long, these deciduous and then lamina appearing punctate;  midrib impressed above and prominently raised beneath, lateral nerves 3-5 per side, weakly impressed at base, becoming plane distally above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets weakly impressed to plane but obscure above and raised beneath;  petiole subterete, broadly canaliculate above, rugose, 3-5 mm long, glabrous or weakly hirsute as twigs.  Inflorescence axillary, racemose, 12-15-flowered, surrounded at base by numerous striate, ovate, acuminate, ciliate bracts to 6 mm long;  rachis subterete, sharply angled, striate, 2.5-3.5 cm long, white puberulent and also moderately to densely hirsute with straight, gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs to 1 mm long;  pedicels subterete, striate, 7-10 mm long, densely white puberulent, also hirsute as rachis; bracteoles opposite to subopposite, located near middle of pedicel, ovate, 3-4 x 1 mm, long-acuminate, ciliate;  floral bract striate, ovate, 5-6 x 2 mm, acuminate, ciliate.  Calyx 3.5-4 mm long, glabrous or puberulent (with few, gland-tipped hairs on lobe lamina), lobes erect or sometimes reflexed when dry, ovate, 2.5-3 x 1.5-2 mm, acuminate, densely ciliolate, sparsely puberulent within;  corolla urceolate, apparently bluntly angled, 5-7 x 3-4 mm, densely short-pilose, also sparsely pubescent with appressed, straight, minutely gland-tipped, ferruginous hairs to 0.5 mm long, lobes ovate, ca. 1 mm long, obtuse;  stamens 3-4 mm long;  filaments ca. 2.5 mm long, pilose;  anthers 1.5 mm long, awns conspicuous;  ovary densely short-pilose;  style 3.5-4 mm long,  glabrous.  Fruiting calyx not seen.

     Distribution (Map).  Known only from Mexico (one collection each from the states of Jalisco, México, Michoacán, and Puebla), in rocky areas at elevations of 1900-3080 m.  Flowering in Apr, Jun, and Nov;  fruits unknown.  Rare and endangered.