Epiphytic shrub to 2 m tall, sometimes climbing to 15 m;  stem terete to subterete, striate, glabrous, the bark grayish-brown, cracking longitudinally;  twigs terete or complanate and bluntly angled, striate to ribbed, glabrous or puberulent.  Leaves coriaceous, elliptic, 10-30 x 3-9 cm, base rounded or obtuse, sometimes unequal, apex acuminate to short-acuminate, margin entire, flat or revolute especially near base, glabrous but minutely reddish-brown glandular-fimbriate on both surfaces;  3-5-plinerved or often pinnately nerved with 2-4 pairs of lateral nerves, nerves arising from basal 2/3 of the midrib, midrib thickened and raised in the proximal 2.5-6 cm and then distally impressed above, conspicuously raised beneath, lateral nerves impressed above and conspicuous, raised beneath, reticulate veinlets impressed above and raised beneath, sometimes inconspicuous;  petiole thick, terete, rugose, 6-10 mm long, glabrous or puberulent.  Inflorescence axillary, racemose, often clustered into "pincushion", often from leafless nodes, 6-15-flowered;  rachis angled, striate, congested, up to 1 cm long, glabrous or puberulent;  floral bract persistent, ovate-oblong, acute to acuminate or rounded, ca. 1.5-2 mm long, ciliolate, marginally finely glandular-fimbriate;  pedicel thin, striate, 8-10(-12) mm long, glabrous or puberulent;  bracteoles located in lower 1/3 of pedicel, similar to the floral bract.  Flowers with calyx 3-4 mm long, glabrous or puberulent;  hypanthium spherical or pentagonal when dry, rugose, 1.5-2 mm long;  limb campanulate, 1.5-2 mm long;  lobes broadly deltate, acute, ca. 0.5 mm long;  sinuses rounded;  corolla cylindric, 8-10 mm long and 4-5 mm diam., glabrous or weakly puberulent at apex but with scattered fimbriae, red, the lobes deltate, acute, ca. 1 mm long, acute, white;  stamen alternately ca. 4 mm and 5-6 mm long;  filaments 1.5-2.5 mm long, glabrous to slightly pilose ventrally where free;  anthers alternately 3-4.5 mm and 4-5 mm long;  thecae ca. 2-3 mm long;  tubules ca. 1.5-2 mm long, the apex not ornamented;  style slightly exserted, 9-10 mm long.  Berry not seen.

    Distribution.  Ecuador and N Peru (1 collection);  premontane rainforest and wet montane forest, at 800-2000 m altitude.  Infrequent.

    Local name:  gualicón.