Terrestrial or rarely epiphytic shrub with branches mostly pendent to ca. 1 m long;  stem terete, striate to ribbed, glabrous;  twigs terete to subterete, sometimes complanate and angled, sometimes flexuous, striate, glabrous.  Leaves coriaceous, ovate, broadly ovate, ovate-elliptic, (2.6-)3-7(-8.5) x (1.6-)2.5-3.5 cm, base rounded, sometimes broadly cuneate and obtuse, apex shortly and usually bluntly acuminate, sometimes sharply (long-)acuminate, margin entire, glabrous on both surfaces but often minutely, appressed, glandular-fimbriate beneath; 3-5-plinerved from at or near the base, midrib slightly impressed above and raised beneath, rarely slightly thickened and plane in the proximal 8 mm then impressed distally above, lateral nerves slightly impressed to slightly raised above and raised beneath, reticulate veinlets mostly obscure but often slightly raised above;  petiole terete, rugose, sometimes ribbed, 2-4 mm long, glabrous.  Inflorescence axillary, with flowers 1-2, all parts glabrous, rarely calyx, corolla, and pedicel short-pilose in specimens from Imbabura and Carchi provinces;  floral bract obscure, deltate, obtuse, ca. 0.3 mm long;  pedicel subterete, striate, 15-25(-33) mm long, sparsely glandular-fimbriate;  bracteoles obscure, located near base, opposite to subopposite, aristate, 0.2-0.8 mm long, margin glandular-fimbriate.  Flowers 4-merous, not extending beyond the subtending leaves but instead usually slightly hidden by them;  calyx (2.5-)3.5-5 mm long, glabrous;  hypanthium obconic, sometimes narrowly obconic, terete to ribbed, (1.5-)2-3 mm long, often minutely but conspicuously glandular-fimbriate;  limb suberect to campanulate, 1-2 mm long;  lobes apiculate, 0.5-0.8 mm long;  sinuses broadly rounded;  corolla tubular, broadened above the middle, constricted at the throat, terete or sometimes bluntly angled, 17-23 long and ca. 6-8 mm diam. near apex, red, the lobes strongly reflexed thus exposing tips of stamen at anthesis, oblong-deltate, acute, 1.5-3 mm long;  stamens 8, equalling the corolla, ca. 16-21 mm long;  filaments alternately slightly unequal, 9-15 mm long, glabrous, rarely weakly pilose;  anthers ca. 4-7.5 mm long;  thecae ca. 1.5-3 mm long;  tubules ca. 2.5-5 mm long, dehiscing by oblique pores of short clefts;  style slightly exserted, glabrous.  Berry spherical, ca. 6-8 mm diam., glabrous, pale lavender-blue.

     Distribution.  Southern Colombia and Ecuador;  premontane to montane cloud forest, at 1300-3129 m altitude.