Shrub, seldom more than 2 m tall, very densely pubescent on all external surfaces, the trichomes of stems and inflorescences stalked-stellate. Petioles 1-4 cm long; blades +/- ovate, acuminate, obtuse to rounded at base, 10-27 cm long, 5.5-13 cm wide, rugulose and mostly simple-pubescent above, with both stalked-stellate and simple trichomes below, minutely serrate, pliveined, the veins 5-7, raised below. Panicles congested, +/- maroon, terminal; flowers ca 1.5 cm diam, opening few at a time, often on same inflorescence with fruits, the buds violet, ovoid; petals 6 or 7, white to pink, +/- rounded; stamens 12 or 14, directed to one side, geniculate below anther; anthers all with apices clustered around stigma; style short and thick, strongly bent to one side near apex; stigma green. Berries densely pubescent, dark purple, ca 1.5 cm diam; seeds minute, numerous. Croat 6340. Common in clearings; occasional along the margin of the lake. Flowers and fruits throughout the year. Foster 1134 and 1211, collected along the shore on Peña Blanca Point, represent an extreme variation of C. speciosa or possibly a distinct variety of it. It has been suggested by C. Schnell (pers. comm.) that they are hybrids between C. speciosa Naud. and C. subcrustulata (Beurl.) Tr. In general appearance they look like C. specliosa, but they have only sessile stellate trichomes on the lower leaf surface as in C. subcrustulata.