Shrub, 1-2 m tall; older stems with a smooth, light-brown, corky periderm, the younger stems, lower surface of petioles, underside of midribs, and all exposed parts of inflorescences densely covered with brown, scalelike, stellate trichomes. Petioles 1-2.5 cm long, the upper surface glabrous and concave; blades elliptic to oblanceolate, acuminate, attenuate and decurrent at base, 6-14 cm long, 2.5-4.5 cm wide, densely pellucid-punctate, glabrous except for a narrow band of sparse stellate trichomes on either side of midrib below, thin, entire, the margins somewhat undulate. Panicles congested, terminal, subcorymbiform, 3-7 cm long; pedicels 2-4 mm long; flowers 5-parted, to 5 mm broad; inflorescence branches, pedicels, and calyces finely reddish-tomentose; calyx ca 1.3 mm long, lobed about midway, the lobes triangular, black-punctate, persisting in fruit; corolla magenta, pellucid -lineate, lobed to near base, the lobes slender, papillate-puberulent inside, ca 4 mm long, recurved at anthesis; stamens ca 2 mm long; filaments flattened, broadened somewhat and fused to corolla at base; anthers yellow, equaling filaments in length, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; ovary ovoid, furfuraceous at apex; style simple, slender, to 8 mm long. Drupes white to greenish, +/- globose, 4-6 mm diam, smooth, shiny, sparsely stellate-pubescent (densely in juveniles); seed white, shiny, of same shape as fruit, a bit smaller. Croat 9576, 12416.