Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, sometimes scandent with vine-like branches to 5 m long;  stem terete to subterete, slightly puberulous when young, glabrate.  Leaves thick-coriaceous, coarse, ovate, elliptic, or oblong-lanceolate, (15-)18-40 x 6-13(-17.5) cm, base cuneate to rounded, apex tapering and long-acuminate, margin subentire, lamina glabrous, but also bearing minute, glandular fimbriae;  5-7-plinerved from above the base, midrib and lateral nerves joined for 1-4(-6) cm above base, impressed above and prominent beneath, reticulate veinlets plane or slightly rainsed on both surfaces;  petiole winged above, rugose, stout, 8-19 mm long, glabrous.  Inflorescence short-racemose but corymbiform by elongation of lower pedicels, glabrous in all parts, although often scaley when young and then covered with a whitish exudate which may persist to anthesis, 10-20(-35)-flowered;  rachis subterete, stout, 0.7-2 cm long;  floral bract subcoriaceous, persistent and becoming reflexed after anthesis, broadly ovate to oblong, acute,ca. 3 mm long, marginally deciduously glandular-fimbriate;  pedicel terete, rather stout, striate, 20-60 mm long, elongating to 71 mm post-anthesis;  bracteoles located below middle, triangular, acute, ca. 1.8-2 mm long, marginally glandular-fimbriate.  Flowers with calyx 6.5-8 mm long;  hypanthium campanulate, 2.5-4 mm long and 4-6 mm diam., broader than long, the base broadly rounded;  limb subcoriaceous, campanulate-spreading, ca. 4 mm long;  lobes ovate, rounded, apiculate, ca. 2-3 mm long, margins appearing torn;  sinuses acute;  corolla carnose, subcylindric, swollen but ± cylindric in the basal 1/3 to 1/2, once-constricted above the base, distally cylindric to lobes, (18-)25-38 mm long and 5-6 mm diam. when dry, glandular-fimbriate distally, dark rose-red in basal swollen part and lighter rose-red distally, the lobes spreading, narrowly triangular to oblong, acute, 2-3 mm long;  stamen 9-15 mm long;  filaments distinct or slightly connate at base, 3-6 mm long, sparsely pilose at margins distally with hairs ca. 0.3 mm long, the connectives lacking spurs;  anthers 10-13 mm long;  thecae 4-7 mm long;  tubules sometimes laterally connate in basal half, 3-5.5 mm long;  style long-exserted.  Berry spherical, at least 13 mm diam., crowned by persistent brownish calyx limb, green to green speckled with brown, the top of the ovary brownish.

    Distribution.  Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru (?);  rainforest, premontane wet forest, lower montane wet forest, to montane wet forest, at 100-3100 m altitude.

    Local names:  Ecuador: chuquilullu, gualicón, quinllullo (Cayapa).

    Uses:  flowers eaten as vitamins.  Pollinated by the White-whiskered Hummingbird.

    Cultivated:  ABG, E, NCSC, NY.