Shrubs to 2 m tall; stems terete or subquadrangular toward the tip, moderately and minutely strigose, the hairs upwardly appressed. Leaves ovate elliptic to elliptic, to 28 cm long and 15 cm wide, apically acuminate and often curved to one side, basally attenuate, glabrous above, or sparingly strigose in the younger leaves, occasionally strigose or more spreading, the hairs densest along the costa and the lateral veins, the costa and the lateral veins prominent, the lower surface drying to a lighter green, the margins entire or undulate; petioles to ca. 1 cm long, strigose. Inflorescences of terminal spikes borne singly or in clusters, the spikes to 19 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, the rachis unevenly sericeous, the peduncle to 8 mm long, sericeous; bracts orange to bright red when fresh, drying to reddish brown, rhombic ovate, to 16 mm long and 8 mm wide, apically acute, glabrous to puberulous with upwardly appressed, strigose hairs along the costa, the costa and the lateral veins prominent with two dull elliptic, alveolate, submarginal glandular areas dorsally about midway from the base, to 3 mm and 1 mm wide, the margins ciliolate; bractlets linear lanceolate, to 17 mm long and 2 mm wide, apically acuminate, keeled, the keel densely hirsute with ascending hairs ca. 1 mm long. Flowers with the calyx ca. 17 mm long, the segments lanceolate, increasingly puberulous toward the apex, striate nerved, the posterior segment 8 mm wide, the lateral segments 1.7 mm wide, the anterior segments 2.2 mm wide; corolla bright red or reddish yellow, 5.5-6 cm long, puberulous, the tube sub-cylindric, slightly curved, 3.5 mm broad at the base and 6 mm broad at the throat, the upper lip erect, elliptic, 16 mm long, 7 mm wide, 2-lobed, the lobes apically acute, 4 mm long, 3 mm wide basally, the middle lobe of the lower lip lanceolate, 18 mm long, 6 mm wide, acute, the lateral lobes 4 mm long, partly adnate to the upper lip, the free portions triangular, ca. 1.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, apically acute; stamens slightly exserted, the anthers apiculate at both ends, webby-pilose at the tip; ovary densely strigose, the hairs ascending. Capsules clavate, 18-20 mm long, 4 mm wide, 3.5 mm thick, glabrous except for ascending strigose hairs toward the rounded apex; seeds 4, dark brown, deltoid, ca. 5 mm long, 4 mm wide, the margins sparingly tuberculate.
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