Shrubs to 2.6 m tall; stems quadrangular toward the tip, strigose. Leaves oblong-elliptic, to 38 cm long and 13 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally at-tenuate, glabrous above, strigose beneath, the costa and the lateral veins prominent below, with 17-22 pairs of lateral veins, the margins crenate except for the basal portions; petioles 2-8 cm long, strigose. Inflorescences of terminal spikes borne singly and in clusters, to 24 cm long and 1.5 cm wide; peduncles ca. 2 cm long, glabrous to sparingly strigose, the lateral spikes to 14 cm long; rachis glabrous; bracts imbricate, ovate-rhombic, 13 mm long, 14 mm wide, apically obtuse and apiculate, scarlet in living plants, drying dark brown near the margins, glabrous, with 2 dull, alveolate, submarginal glandular areas midway from the base, ca. 3.5 mm long and 2 mm wide; bractlets falcate, to 11 mm long and 4 mm wide, apically acute, keeled, sericeous along the keel. Flowers with the calyx to 2 cm long, the segments oblong, apically rounded and slightly apiculate, glabrous, striate nerved, the posterior segment 8 mm wide, the anterior segments 5.5 mm wide, the lateral segments 4.5 mm wide; corolla rose to yellowish, to 6 cm long, 5 mm wide at the base, 8 mm wide at the throat, the upper lip erect, 18 mm long, 12 mm wide, apically bilobed, each lobe acute, ca. 8 mm long and 6 mm wide, the middle lobe of the lower lip spreading, oblong, to 18 mm long and 11 mm wide, apically obtuse, the lateral lobes ca. 6 mm long, partially adnate to the upper lip, the free portion 2 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, apically obtuse, the entire corolla papillate outside, wooly inside where the filaments join the corolla tube; stamens exserted ca. 1 cm beyond the throat. Capsules and the seeds not observed.
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