Shrubs up to a meter high or more; stems subterete, glabrous except the upper portions, these upwardly strigose, the hairs about 0.25 mm. long, closely appressed; leaf blades oblong-elliptic or broadly oblong- lanceolate, up to 20 cm. long and 5.5 cm. wide, acuminate, narrowed at base and decurrent on the petiole, submembranaceous, entire or undu- late, the upper surface glabrous or thinly strigose, the hairs 0.25 mm. long, the venation rather inconspicuous, the lower surface drying a lighter olive than the upper, moderately and minutely strigose or hirtellous, the hairs confined chiefly to costa and veins (10 to 12 pairs), the venation conspicuous, the veinlets coarsely reticulate; petioles up to 5 cm. long, sparingly and minutely strigose; spikes terminal, soli- tary, subsessile, subtended by a pair of small leaves about 1.5 cm. long and 5 mm. wide, the rachis angled, densely hirtellous, the hairs light brown, ascending, 0.5 mm. long; bracts oval, 2 cm. long, 12 mm. wide, obtuse to subacute and apiculate, coriaceous, the basal portion minutely pubescent, silky, the hairs subappressed, light brown, 150 to 175 μ long, the inner surface evenly, sparingly and minutely puberulous with appressed hairs, the nerves closely parallel, the veinlets reticulate near the subhyaline margins; bractlets lanceolate, 8.5 mm. long, 2.25 mm. wide near base, acuminate (the lower portion carinate), glabrous ex- cept the hirtellous tip, striate-nerved, the costa and adjacent nerves swollen and confluent at base; calyx segments subequal, 15 mm. long, lanceolate, subcoriaceous, striate-nerved, glabrous or ciliate at tip, the costa and adjacent lateral nerves swollen and confluent at base, the posterior segment 4.5 mm. wide, subobtuse and more or less lacerate, the anterior segments 2.5 mm. wide, subobtuse and apiculate, the lat- eral segments 2.25 mm. wide, acute; corolla up to 5 cm. long, densely and silkily hirtellous, except the glabrous basal portion, the hairs brown, ascending, about 250 μ long, the tube about 6 mm. broad at mouth, the upper lip erect, ovate, bilobate at tip, the lobes rounded, the lower lip spreading, the lateral lobes minute and connate with the basal portion of the upper lip, the free portion minute and triangular; cap- sules not seen. Type in the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, collected at Pácora, Department of Cauca, Colombia, 1,800 meters altitude, February 1852, by J. Triana, s. n. An isotype is in the National Herbarium of Colombia. The specific epithet is from the Greek onpixós, silken, and aveos, flower.