Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub with branches to 3 m tall;  stem terete, striate to slightly ribbed, nitid, reddish-brown, glabrous;  twigs similar but often complanate and bluntly angled, sometimes puberulent.  Leaves thick-coriaceous, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 10-15 x 4-9 cm, base broadly cuneate to obtuse and shortly decurrent, apex acute to abruptly short-acuminate, glabrous but with deciduous, minute glandular fimbriae ca. 0.2 mm long on both surfaces;  pinnately nerved with 3-4 main lateral nerves per side, or sometimes appearing 5-7-plinerved, midrib raised and conspicuously thickened in proximal one-third, then raised for proximal two-thirds above and then slightly impressed towards tip, lateral nerves and reticulate veinlets impressed above, all nerves raised and conspicuous beneath;  petiole subterete, winged, rugose, very stout, 5-11 mm long and to 5 mm diam., glabrous.  Inflorescence axillary, racemose, 5-10-flowered, often 2-3 rachises arising from same node;  rachis angled, striate, nitid, nodes conspicuously raised, 1-3 cm long, glabrous or puberulent;  floral bract caducous, oblong, acute, 2.5 x 2 mm, glabrous or puberulent;  pedicel subterete, angled to ribbed, striate, 22-45 mm long, glabrous or puberulent;  bracteoles located near base, oblong to ovate, rounded to acute, keeled, 1.5-3 mm long and broad, margin scarious, sometimes imbricate and fused around pedicel, ciliolate, sometimes also marginally glandular-fimbriate.  Flowers with calyx articulate, 7-11 mm long, glabrous or puberulent;  hypanthium rugose, 2-5 mm long, the base apophysate;  limb cylindric-spreading, 4-7 mm long;  lobes minute, apiculate, triangular, less than 1 mm long;  sinuses rounded to flat;  corolla cylindric, terete, 25-31 mm long and to 11 mm diam., white to pink (to red with age), glabrous or puberulent, the lobes triangular, acute, ca. 2 mm long;  stamens 25-26 mm long, often pushing through apex of bud prior to anthesis;  filaments distinct, 4-5 mm long, glabrous;  anthers 22-23 mm long;  thecae 13-14 mm long, difficult to distinguish from tubules, the base long-mucronate;  tubules laterally connate and distinct only in distal 4-5 mm, 9-10 mm long, dehiscing by clefts 6-9 mm long;  style slightly exserted.  Berry not seen.

    Distribution.  Southern Colombia and N Ecuador;  tropical moist forest, premontane wet forest, lower montane rainforest, to montane cloud forest, at 900-2560 m altitude.

    Local names:  Ecuador: flor del duende.

    Uses:  Ecuador: to cure evil spells (Rubio et al. 1583).  Visited by the hummingbirds Adelomyia melanogenys, Aglaiocercus coelestis, Boissonneaua jardini, and Coeligena wilsoni (fide Bleiweiss 1057).

    Cultivated:  ABG, NY.