Terrestrial shrub to 1.5 m tall;  mature stems terete, striate, glabrate;  bark gray when dry, cracking longitudinally;  twigs subterete, bluntly angled, striate, short-pilose, drying reddish-brown.  Leaves coriaceous, "whitened below", ovate, broadly ovate-elliptic, to semiorbicular, 0.8-1.9 x 0.5-1.8 cm, basally rounded, sometimes subcordate, sometimes very short-decurrent, apically obtuse, retuse, marginally entire, essentially glabrous but usually tufted pilose at the apical notch, midrib slightly impressed above and raised beneath, lateral nerves above, anastomosing, slightly raised but usually inconspicuous beneath, veinlets slightly raised or obscure on both surfaces;  petiole terete, rugose, densely short-pilose, ca. 2 mm long.  Inflorescence seemingly terminal, solitary, racemose, 10-20-flowered, the lowest flowers sometimes subtended by leaf-like bracts or scattered flowers even appearing solitary in normal upper-leaf axils;  rachis angled, sparsely pilose basally as it grades into the twig but glabrous distally, ca. 1.5-3 cm long at anthesis but lengthening to 5 cm later;  floral bracts elliptic, obtuse, 3-4 mm long, basally ciliate along margins;  pedicels subterete angled, 3-4 mm long at anthesis but lengthening to 10 mm later, glabrous;  bracteoles basal to medial, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1(-3) mm long, marginally ciliate.  Flowers with calyx glabrous, glaucous, ca. 3 mm long, articulate with the pedicel, stipitate;  hypanthium globose and constricted into the base, purple when fresh, 1.5-2 mm long;  limb campanulate, ca. 1-1.5 mm long including the lobes;  lobes green when fresh, broadly triangular, acuminate, ca. 0.75-1 mm long;  sinuses rounded;  corolla cylindric, glabrous, white when fresh, 4-4.2 mm long, the lobes triangular, obtuse, ca. 1-1.2 mm long, reflexed;  stamens 10, equal, ca. 3 mm long;  filaments distinct, marginally ciliate distally, 1.5-1.8 mm long; anthers 1.5 mm long including tubules;  thecae ca. 0.7 mm long;  ovary 5-locular;  style ca. 3 mm long;  disc pulvinate, glabrous. Berry purple, "edible," 6-8 mm diam; seeds ovoid, ca. 2.2 mm long, the testa with thin-walled cells that do not become mucilaginous on wetting, the embryo drying whitish.  Fruit not seen.

    Distribution.  Endemic to Brazil and known only from two collections from the type locality.  Rare and probably endangered.