Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub to 3 m tall from single stem up to 5 cm diam.;  stem and twigs terete to subterete, somewhat striate, densely short-pilose with white to gray trichomes.  Leaves coriaceous, amplexicaul, ovate, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, broadest at the base or in the middle, then noticeably constricted below the middle with a shallow sinus on each side, (5-)8.5-15 x (2.5-)5-8 cm, base cordate-auriculate with rounded auricles, apex acuminate with the apex itself acute, margin entire, yellowish- or brownish-green when dry, sparsely short-pilose along the nerves above and densely soft-pilose with solitary hairs and fascicles of 4-6 hairs beneath;  pinnately nerved or weakly plinerved with 3-5 lateral nerves per side, midrib, lateral nerves and reticulate veinlets impressed above, midrib and lateral nerves conspicuously raised beneath;  buds lanceolate, (12-)22-25 mm long;  petiole subterete, densely short-pilose, up to  5 mm long and 3 mm diam.  Inflorescence axillary, racemose, pendent, 10-25-flowered;  rachis bluntly angled, ca. 5-9 cm long, pale yellowish-green, densely woolly with white or cream-colored trichomes;  floral bracts persistent, covering the flowers at anthesis, membranous, noticealbly reticulate veined, lanceolate, (45-)60-70 x 15-20 mm, pale yellowish-green suffused with red at the base, densely woolly as rachis;  pedicel 10-12(-17) mm long and 3-4 mm diam., pale yellowish-green;  bracteoles located midway up the pedicel, similar to floral bracts but 35-45 x 10 mm.  Flowers with calyx (22-)25-35 mm long;  hypanthium cylindrical, coarsely 10-ribbed, densely woolly, 5-7 mm long, dark green;  limb erect, sparsely pilose, 16-30 mm long, pale yellowish-green suffused with red;  lobes lanceolate, 15-25 x 4-5 mm, erect after anthesis;  sinuses acute;  corolla cylindrical and very fleshy (2 mm thick at base) when fresh, slightly swollen basally, densely short-pilose with white trichomes, 45-50 mm long and 10-12 mm diam. at middle (ca 15 mm diam. at base), dark pinkish-red, lobes lanceolate, spreading at anthesis (15-)17-20 mm long, purplish-black within;  stamen 10, equal, 42-43 mm long;  filaments distinct, glabrous, 7-8 mm long, golden-yellow;  anthers 37-38 mm long, golden-yellow;  thecae coarsely granular, 15-16 mm long;  tubules slender, about half the diameter of thecae, ca. 22 mm long, dehiscing by oblique, oval pores 1-1.2  mm long.  Berry blue-black.

    Distribution.  Endemic to Ecuador, and known only from about 10 collections;  cloud forest at 1850-2240 m altitude.  Rare and possibly endangered.

    It was also noticed that the pith of the stem of C. megabracteatum disappear with age and thereby provide a home for tiny, black, non-biting ants.  The species is locally common in the remnant forests and pasturelands around Cosanga.