Terrestrial shrub, to 4 m tall;  stem terete, striate, glabrate;  twigs subterete, complanate, bluntly angled, densely soft pilose with whitish to yellowish-white hairs ca. 1 mm long.  Leaves coriaceous, ovate, ovate-ellitic, or broadly ovate, rarely suborbicular, (2-) 4-5.5(-6.5) x (1.3-)2.5-4.5 cm, base rounded and shallowly cordate or obtuse, apex obtuse or bluntly acute, rarely short-acuminate, margin entire and slightly revolute, pilose on both surfaces with soft white hairs, glabrate above, persistent to glabrate along nerves beneath;  3-5(-7)-plinerved from at or near the base, midrib usually impressed above but rarely thickened and raised in the proximal 1 cm then impressed distally, prominently raised beneath, lateral nerves plane to impressed above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both surfaces;  petiole subterete, rugose, 2-5 mm long, densely pilose.  Inflorescence axillary, fasciculate, 1-3-flowered, surrounded at the base by a few ovate, acute, pilose bracts to ca. 2 mm long;  floral bract ovate, acute to acuminate, pilose dorsally, 2-3 mm long;  pedicel subterete, ribbed, 1-5 mm long, pilose;  bracteoles basal, broadly ovate, short-acuminate, ca. 2 x 2 mm.  Flowers with calyx 4-6 mm long, pilose to densely short-pilose with white hairs ca. 0.4 mm long;  hypanthium obconic, terete or 5-angled, 2.5-3 mm long;  limb erect-spreading, 1.5-3 mm long;  lobes deltate, acuminate, ca. 1.5-2 x 3 mm;  sinuses obtuse to broadly rounded;  corolla tubular-urceolate, bluntly pentagonal, 15-23 mm long and 5-7 mm diam. near base, red to coral red, pilose, the lobes spreading, oblong-ovate, obtuse to acute, ca. 2 mm long;  stamen 10, equal, 9.5-11 mm long;  filaments 3-4 mm long, glabrous;  anthers 7-9 mm long;  thecae 4.5-5 mm long;  tubules 2, connate nearly to apex, equalling the thecae, 2.5-4.5 mm long, dehiscing by clefts ca. 1.3 mm long;  style exserted or equalling corolla.  Mature berry not seen, but spherical, glabrate, ca. 8 mm diam., glabrate, maroon when immature.

    Distribution.  Endemic to Ecuador;  cloud forest and elfin forest scrub, at 800-3050 m altitude.  Rare and endangered.

    Local name:  gualicón.