Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Can anybody help me identifying a tropical plant ?, 1 by bonitin

bonitin wrote:
Last year, a friend brought me a tiny cutting of a plant she found in Brazil.
It looked rather withered at its arrival. But I gave it a chance anyway and to my amazement it recovered quickly and started growing vigorously, even if it had to deal with the darkest period of a European winter, normally a very unfavourable period to make a plant growing from a cutting. In ten months time it grew out of its pot 3 times. By now it has reached about 1.20m. The hairy leaves feel thick ,velvety and the undersides show pronounced veins, they stand opposite.
It didn't bloom yet, i don't know what to expect.