Erect herbs up to 1.5 meters high; stems subquadrangular, glabrous, the cystoliths inconspicuous, up to 0.112 mm. long; leaf blades oblong-lanceolate, up to 16 cm. long and 4 cm. wide, rather slenderly acuminate at tip, cuneate at base, rather thin, entire or undulate, both surfaces glabrous or the costa of the upper surface inconspicuously strigose, the costa and lateral veins and veinlets conspicuous beneath, obscure above, the cystoliths up to 0.08 mm. long, conspicuous under a lens; flowers borne in a long narrow lax panicle, the small triangular- subulate bracts (3 mm. long, 0.75 mm. wide at base) gradually inter- grading into the stem leaves; rachis and rachilla glabrous, bearing minute cystoliths, these conspicuous under a lens; ultimate bracts subulate or linear-subulate, 1.5 to 2.5 mm. long, 0.25 mm. wide, the cystoliths minute but conspicuous; pedicels slender, up to 15 mm. long and 0.25 mm. thick, glabrous and bearing minute cystoliths; calyx 4 mm. long, glabrous except a few minute acute hairs at tips of the segments, these linear-lanceolate, 3.5 mm. long and 0.75 mm. wide at base, acute, bearing numerous minute cystoliths (0.032 to 0.08 mm. long) conspicuous under a lens; corolla 2 cm. long, red, purplish toward tip (Fosberg), glabrous, the tube 1.5 mm. broad at base, at 3 mm. above base abruptly enlarged to 8 mm., 6 mm. broad at throat, the lips erect, subequal, 3.5 mm. long, the upper lip ovate, 2.5 mm. wide, rounded, the lower lip 3-lobed, the lobes 2 mm. long and broad, obtuse; stamens reaching the tips of the corolla lips, glabrous, the anthers 4 mm. long, 1.5 mm. thick, muticous; style slightly exserted, the stigma minute; ovary glabrous; capsules not seen. Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 2045407, collected on a steep slope in a wet forest at the headwaters of the Río Fortalecillas, just below Paso de Las Cruces, 39 km. east of Neiva, Department of Huila, Colombia, 2,300 meters altitude, January 19, 1943, by F. R. Fosberg (No. 19791). Isotype: US. The specific epithet is from the Greek xapirerns, meaning graceful.