Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub to 4 m tall; stem terete, striate, the bark cracking irregularly, glabrous; twigs terete to subterete, bluntly and broadly angled, the nodes ± raised, somewhat rugose, glabrous or puberulent. Leaves coriaceous, crisp- or inflated-succulent and 1-2 mm thick when fresh but both surfaces conspicuously wrinkled when dry, elliptic, 8-20(-33) x 3-14(-20) mm, base rounded to obtuse, apex rounded to obtuse, the tip slightly retuse, glabrous; obscurely 3 (-5)-plinerved, midrib usually impressed above and raised beneath, otherwise venation obscure; petiole terete, rugose, 1-2.3 mm long, puberulent, glabrate. Inflorescence axillary, the flowers solitary, essentially sessile, surrounded by a series of numerous (ca 6), membranous, persistent, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, stramineous, glabrous but marginally glandular-fimbriate bracts to ca. 7 mm long; floral bract similar to inflorescence bracts, ca. 7 x 3 mm; pedicel less than 0.5 mm long, with a series of glandular fimbriae at distal tip; bracteoles ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, ca. 7 x 2.5 mm, glabrous but marginally glandular-fimbriate. Flower 5-merous, with calyx ca. 6.5 mm long, glabrous, light pink to red; hypanthium cylindric, terete or ± bluntly angled, 1.5-2.2 mm long; limb erect-campanulate, 4.5-5 mm long; lobes narrowly long-triangular, long-acuminate, 2.5-4 mm long, marginally glandular-fimbriate, distally thickened and often setose; sinuses obtuse to rounded; corolla cylindric, terete, 11-12 mm long and ca. 4 mm diam., glabrous but with few glandular fimbriae distally, red, the lobes spreading, oblong, obtuse, 1.2-2 mm long; stamen 5, ca. 8.5-9.5 mm long; filaments slightly geniculate, ca. 4 mm long, puberulent; anthers ca. 6 mm long; thecae ca. 3 mm long; tubules 2, distinct, ca. 3 mm long, dehiscing by clefts the entire length of tubule; style as long as corolla, glabrous. Berry spherical, blue to lavender.
Distribution. Endemic to Ecuador; premontane
to montane cloud forest at 850-3400 m altitude.