Evergreen shrub with longitudinally furrowed bark; twigs moderately to slightly angled, slender, sparsely to moderately lepidote, otherwise glabrous to very sparsely pubescent; buds ovoid, 1-2 x 1-1.3 mm.  Leaf blades elliptic to widely elliptic, obovate, or ovate, 2-9 x 1.3-6 cm, ± flat, coriaceous, ca. 0.4-0.57 mm thick; base attenuate, narrowly cuneate to rounded; apex rounded to truncate; margin plane to slightly revolute, apical portion entire to sinuous, basal portion ± entire; venation brochidodromous, 3o veins reticulate; adaxial surface lepidote but scales quickly deciduous, densely pubescent on midvein, especially basal portion, sometimes sparsely pubescent on 2o veins, with 3o and higher order veins visible, 2o veins visible and slightly raised; abaxial surface moderately lepidote, otherwise glabrous, the 3o and higher order veins ± flat or nearly so, slightly and laxly reticulate, the 2o veins raised and visible; scales rust colored, usually persistent, ca. 0.14-0.25 mm in diameter, entire to irregular; petiole 5-18 mm long, lepidote, otherwise pubescent adaxially to nearly all around; flower buds ± intermixed with vegetative buds.  Inflorescences fasciculate or (shortly racemose), 1- to 11-flowered; pedicels clearly to only weakly articulated with calyx, slender, 4-8 mm long, lepidote, otherwise sparsely pubescent to glabrous; bracteoles subopposite, near base of pedicel, narrowly triangular, 0.8-3 mm long; floral bracts to ca. 3 mm long.  Flowers 4-(-5)-merous; calyx lobes triangular, with acuminate apices, 1.6-2.6 x 1.5-2.5 mm, adaxial side glabrous to very sparsely pubescent toward apex, abaxial side lepidote, otherwise glabrous to sparsely pubescent, especially near base; corolla urceolate to long-urceolate, white, 4-5 x 3-4 mm, abaxially ± moderately lepidote; filaments roughened, 2.5-3 mm long, uusally with pair of short spurs just below anther-filament junction; anthers 1.2-1.8 mm long; ovary lepidote, otherwise pubescent, placentae ± subapical.  Capsules ovoid to globose or subglobose, usually with ± convex valves, 3.5-5 x 3.5-4.6 mm, lepidote, otherwise densely to moderately pubescent, the pale, very thick sutures separating as unit from adjacent valves; seeds 3-3.5 mm long.

    Distribution.  Endemic to Cuba (Pinar del Río: sandy area, and known only from vicinity of Mantua and Baja).