Terrestrial or epiphytic, somewhat scandent shrub with branches to 2 m long;  stem terete, bluntly ribbed, glabrous;  twigs subterete to bluntly angled, striate, densely short-tomentose with grayish or yellowish hairs.  Leaves arising from congested, imbricated tufts at the tips of new innovations, later separate but still congested, subcoriaceous, linear, narrowly elliptic, to lanceolate-elliptic, usually somewhat longitudinally convolute after drying, (0.8-)13-20 x 2.5-4.5 mm, base rounded or truncate and tapering into the petiole, apex long-tapering, acute, but often appearing acuminate due to leaf curvature, margin entire, glabrous on both surfaces, lacking glandular fimbriae;  3(-5)-plinerved from the base, midrib and lateral nerves plane to slightly impressed or raised above and slightly raised beneath, but usually only midrib obvious;  petiole subterete, broadly flattened above, ca. 1-1.5 mm long, puberulent.  Inflorescence axillary, solitary, 1-flowered, surrounded at the base by a series of ovate, obtuse to rounded, striate, glabrous or densely ciliolate bracts to ca. 1 mm long;  floral bract as above but to ca. 1.5 mm long;  pedicel subterete, to ca. 0.5 mm long, puerulent;  bracteoles striate, broadly ovate, rounded, broadly imbricate at base, glabrous (Ecuador) but sometimes densely ciliolate or marginally short-pilose, ca. 2.5-3(-5 Colombia) mm long and broad.  Flowers 4-merous, with calyx ca. 4-6.5 mm long, essentially glabrous (Ecuador), rarely minutely glandular-fimbriate;  hypanthium cylindric, terete, ca. 1-1.5 mm long;  limb erect-spreading, ca. 3-5 mm long;  lobes striate, long-triangular, acute, ca. 2.5-3.5(-4.5 Colombia) mm long, weakly (Ecuador) to densely ciliolate;  sinuses acute;  corolla cylindric to cylindric-urceolate, terete, ca. 7-8 mm long and ca. 3 mm diam. at middle (sometimes more globose-urceolate and to 9 mm long and 6 mm diam. in Colombia), white, cream-white, to pale yellowish-green, glabrous, the lobes spreading and reflexed, sometimes exposing the stamen at anthesis, triangular, acute, ca. 1 mm long, white, pink, to red;  stamen 8, about as long as corolla, ca. 7-8 mm long;  filaments ca. 3.5-4.5 mm long, densely short-pilose within;  anthers ca. 4-5 mm long;  thecae ca. 1.8-2 mm long;  tubules ca. 2.2--3 mm long, dehiscing by short clefts ca. 0.5 mm long;  style slightly exserted, glabrous;  nectariferous disc annular-pulvinate.  Berry translucent white.

    Distribution.  Colombia and Ecuador;  pluvial forest (Ecuador) to montane cloud forest, at 650-750 (Ecuador) to 2560 m altitude.