Herbs or subshrubs, 40(-100) cm tall, with tissues often turning black when dry; branches generally quadrangular, densely hirsute to strigose and strigillose becoming glabrescent with age. Petiole 1-7 cm, strigose to strigillose; leaf blade thinly papery to membranous, elliptic or obovate, 8-22 × 4.5-9 cm, adaxially sparsely to moderately hirsute to hispid, abaxially strigillose to strigose or hispid with pubescence denser along principal veins, base acute or cuneate, margins ciliolate, apex acuminate or acute; secondary veins 9-11 pairs; stipules persistent, broadly ovate to triangular, 1-3 mm, glabrescent, cuspidate or 2-or 3-dentate. Inflorescences terminal, pseudoaxillary, and/or axillary on short shoots, 1-flowered, short shoot reduced to developed (appearing as base of articulate peduncle), to 2 mm; peduncle (i.e., directly subtending flower) 3-4 cm; bracts lanceolate, 2-3 mm, acute. Calyx strigillose to strigose or pilose; ovary portion cylindrical to obconical, 3-4 cm; lobes linear-lanceolate, 2.7-4 cm. Corolla purple outside and pink inside, funnelform, outside hirtellous to tomentulose; tube ca. 45 mm; lobes ovate, ca. 10 mm, obtuse then abruptly acuminate with tip ca. 1.5 mm. Filaments free; anthers 6-8 mm, with connective spurred at apex. Berry compressed cylindrical, 40-45 × ca. 5 mm, bisulcate; seeds with testa reticulate. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Jun-Oct.
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