Low, wiry, arching, terrestrial shrub to 1 m tall; stem and twigs subterete, glabrescent, with internodal bracts which are submembranous, lanceolate-oblong, acute, 8-17 mm long. Leaves subcoriaceous, ovate to elliptic-oblong, 18-30 x 6.5-15 cm, base rounded or broadly cuneate, apex long-acuminate, sometimes conspicuously caudate-acuminate, margin entire, glabrous or often principal nerves minutely puberulent; pinnately nerved with 12-24 lateral nerves, midrib plane above and prominently raised beneath, lateral nerves anastomosing near the margin, slightly impressed above and prominent beneath, reticulate veinlets slightly raised on both sides; petiole subterete, thick, 3-7 mm long and 2.5-4 mm diam., puberulent. Inflorescence borne along older branches, subfasciculate or short-racemose, 2-6-flowered, subglabrous, seemingly each subtended by a large, lanceolate, acuminate bract to ca. 10 mm long; rachis to ca. 5 mm long; floral bract ovate, acuminate, 1-1.5 mm long; pedicel subrugose, 6-20 mm long; bracteoles nearly basal, similar to floral bract, margin deciduously glandular-fimbriate. Flowers with calyx 4.5-8 mm long; hypanthium campanulate, wrinkled when dry, 2.5-4.5 mm long and diam.; limb coriaceous, suberect, ca. 2-4 mm long, sometimes irregularly split; lobes ovate, apiculate, ca. 1-2.2 x 2 mm; sinuses acute; corolla urceolate, 8-9 mm long and ca. 4 mm diam. near base, red, the lobes subacute, ca. 1 mm long and broad, white; stamen ca. 5.5 mm long; filaments distinct, ca. 0.8 mm long, glabrous or sparsely pubescent within distally, the connectives alternately somewhat shouldered or 2-spurred and then the spurs subacute; anthers ca. 5 mm long; thecae 2-2.7 mm long, the base incurved, acute; tubules cylindric-conical, ca. 2-2.3 mm long; style exserted. Berry not seen.
Distribution. Endemic to southern Colombia and northern Ecuador; tropical moist and rainforest to premontane wet forest at 250-1890 m altitude.
Local names: Ecuador: ava de monte, guish (Coaiquer).
Uses: fruits edible.