Herb to 0.5 m tall; younger stems quadrangular, pilose to subtomentose, the hairs appressed, brown, to 1.5 mm long. Leaves ovate to ovate elliptic, 13.5-20 cm long, 4.5-7.5 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally cuneate, glabrate above, sparingly to densely pilose beneath, especially the costa and the lateral veins, the hairs appressed to ascending, ca. 0.3 mm long, the veins prominent beneath, the cystoliths relatively obscure, the margins undulate or crenate serrate; petioles 4-5 cm long, hairs as on the stem. Inflorescences in terminal and subterminal spikes, to 12 cm long, 3 cm wide excluding corollas, the flowers sessile to sub-sessile; bracts conspicuous, lanceolate, leaflike, 2-3 cm long, 5-6 mm wide, the lowermost somewhat larger, apically acuminate, glandular pilose, ciliate, hairs to 1.25 mm long, ascending, the bractlets oblong to oblanceolate, 1.2 cm long, 1.8-2 mm wide, apically subacute to subobtuse, the hairs as on the bracts. Flowers with the calyx segments narrowly lanceolate, subequal, 16 mm long, 1.8-2 mm wide, apically acuminate, glandular-pilose and puberulous outside, puberulous inside, densely ciliate with glandular hairs; corolla bright red, 5.5-6.5 cm long, sparingly pilose, the tube curved, 2.5 mm wide at the base, nar-rowing to 2 mm just above the ovary, enlarging gradually to 11 mm wide at the mouth, the limb 1.5 cm broad, the lobes suborbicular, 3 mm in diameter; stamens barely included to slightly exserted, 18 mm long, the anthers oblong, 5 mm long, 1.3 mm wide, rounded at both ends, the filaments glabrous above, puberulous at the base. Capsule elliptic, ca. 15 mm long, 6 mm wide, 4.5 mm thick, glabrous; seeds 2-4, oval, flattened, 4.5 mm long, 3.5 mm wide, glabrous, with a rim of minute mucilaginous hairs when moistened.
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