Shrubs or small trees to 6 m high; younger stems terete to subquadrangular at terminus, velutinous. Leaves narrowly elliptic to near oblanceolate, to 37.5 cm long and 10 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally attenuate, sparingly pilose above except at the costa, pilose beneath, the margins entire to shallowly crenate; petioles 1-2 cm long, pilose. Inflorescences borne in terminal and subterminal spikes in clusters of up to 10 spikes, spikes to 15 cm long and 2 cm wide, the rachis hispid to wooly; bracts orange red, densely imbricate, obovate rhombic, to 20 mm long, 15 mm wide, the apex of the lowermost bracts acuminate and the upper bracts obtuse, 5 or 6 prominent dorsal nerves branching toward the apex of the bract, velutinous dorsally and puberulous ventrally, with two clusters of elliptic glands toward the margins at about the middle of the dorsal surface, the glands ca. 0.5 mm long and 0.4 mm wide, 4-10 glands per cluster, the margins of the bracts entire; bracteoles lanceolate, to 7.5 mm long and 3 mm wide, striate, partially keeled toward the apex, tomentose outside, puberulous inside. Flowers falling away at maturity when the bracts are expanded; calyx 5-merous, all segments separate to base, lanceolate, the posterior segment to 9 mm long and 3 mm wide, the remaining segments to 9 mm long and 2 mm wide, puberulous outside and glabrous inside, striate; corolla purplish red, bilabiate, puberulous inside and outside, the tube funnelform, to 4.5 cm long, 3.5 mm wide at base, 6.5 mm wide at mouth, the upper lip erect, to 17 mm long, 9 mm wide, 2-lobed, the lobes acuminate and keeled at the apex, to 7.5 mm long, the lower lip spread-ing, the middle lobe lanceolate, keeled, to 25 mm long, 8 mm wide, the lateral lobes triangular, attached on one side to the upper lips, acute, the free portion to 1.3 mm long and 1.5 mm wide; stamens exserted to just below the tips of the upper lip and enclosed by it. Capsules clavate, to 1.8 cm long and 6 mm broad distally, 3 mm broad at the base, puberulent, obtuse at the apex; seeds 4, puberu-lent, flattened, ca. 3.5 mm in diameter.
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