Shrubs to 2 m tall; stems quadrangular, glabrous to puberulous, the hairs brownish. Leaves ovate to elliptic, to 17 cm long and 8.5 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally attenuate, glabrous above, glabrous to finely strigose beneath, when present the hairs more dense on costa and lateral veins, drying to a lighter green than the upper surface, the costa and lateral veins prominent, the margins entire; petioles 1-4.5 cm long, glabrous to minutely strigose. Inflorescences of terminal sessile spikes borne singly or occasionally in small clusters, to 8 cm long and 1 cm broad; rachis sericeous with hairs ascending; bracts closely imbricate, green when fresh, drying reddish brown, ovate-lanceolate to oblanceolate, to 3.5 cm long and 0.7-1 cm wide, apically acuminate to acute, glabrous, the margins ciliolate; bracteoles linear, to 8 mm long and 0.5 mm wide with appressed pilose hairs, 0.5 mm long. Flowers with the calyx minute, the segments linear-subulate, ca. 1.5 mm long, 0.25 mm long, ciliolate; corolla white, the tube slender, glandular-puberulous, to 5 cm long, nearly cylindrical, basally 2 mm broad, 3.5 mm broad at the throat, the lobes glabrous, the upper lip erect, oblong, to 12 mm long and 6 mm wide, 2-lobed, the lobes 5 mm long, 3 mm wide at the base, apically rounded, the middle lobe of the lower lip to 22 mm long, 9 mm wide, apically rounded, the lateral lobes oblong, to 17 mm long and 6 mm wide, apically rounded; stamens included, filaments ca. 6 mm long, affixed just below the throat, the anthers 2.5 mm long, basally apiculate, adhering by terminal hairs; style included. Capsules (from Leonard, 1958) narrowly clavate, ca. 15 mm long, 3 mm broad, glabrous, minutely punctate; seeds flattened, obliquely ovoid, 5.5 mm long, 3.5 mm broad, ca. 1 mm thick, smooth, brown.
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