Terrestrial or epiphytic; stem to 40 cm long, 3–5 cm diam.; roots dense at the nodes, spreading-ascending, green to greenish white, fuzzy, ca. 7 cm long, 4–8 mm diam.; cataphylls subcoriaceous, 3.5–4.5 cm long, cucullate, rounded at apex, drying tan to brown, persisting more or less intact or as fine linear fibers. Leaves erect-spreading; petioles 5–21 cm long, (5)7–15(20) mm diam., more or less D-shaped, flattened or convex with sharp, erect margins and , an acute or obtuse medial rib adaxially, obtusely angled, usually 1–4-ribbed abaxially; geniculum slightly paler and thicker than petiole, 1–7 cm long; blades subcoriaceous, narrowly oblong-oblanceolate to oblanceolate-elliptic, obtuse to acute and apiculate at apex, narrowly acute, sometimes abruptly obtuse, less often broadly rounded at base, (40)70–137 cm long, (7)11–32(48) cm wide, broadest above the middle, the margins strongly to moderately undulate; upper surface matte to emiglossy, medium green, lower surface matte to semiglossy, scarcely paler; midrib obtusely raised or flattened with a blunt medial rib at base, becoming acute toward the apex, same color as or paler than surface above, broadly and acutely raised at base, becoming convexly raised toward apex below; primary lateral veins 11–25 per side, departing midrib at 40–60 degree angle, straight- or arcuate-ascending to the margin, obtusely raised and nearly same color as surface above, convexly raised and paler than surface below; tertiary veins slightly raised, same color as surface above, slightly raised and darker than surface elow; collective vein arising from near the apex, prominulous on both surfaces, ca. 5 mm from margin. Inflorescences spreading, sometimes erect; peduncle 20)40–80 cm long, (3)5–7 mm diam., 3.5–6(9) times as long as petioles, green to green heavily tinged with maroon, terete; spathe spreading to reflexed-recurled, coriaceous to subcoriaceous, green (sometimes tinged with violet-purple) to dark violet-purple or maroon, narrowly ovate to oblong-lanceolate, (4)7–24 cm long, 0.6–4 cm wide, broadest near the base, inserted at 30–70 degree angle on peduncle, cuminate at apex (the acumen inrolled), acute to subcordate at base; spadix usually brownish or olive-green to greenish yellow, sometimes reddish to violet-purple, sessile, cylindroid, slightly tapered, erect, usually somewhat curved, held at 140 degree angle from peduncle, (5)8–18 cm long, 5–10 mm diam. midway, 3.5–5 mm diam. near apex, broadest at the base; flowers 4-lobed, 1.2–2.5 mm long, 1.6–2.5 mm wide, the sides straight to sigmoid, 7–11 flowers visible in principal spiral, 6–7 in alternate spiral; tepals matte, weakly to moderately papillate; lateral tepals 0.8–1.4 mm wide, the inner margins straight to broadly rounded, the outer margins irregularly 3–4-sided; pistils emergent or not, reddish violet to dark purple or green; stigma linear to elliptic, 0.6–1 mm long; stamens emerging in a regular or scattered pattern, the laterals preceding the alternates by ca. 1/2 length of the spadix, the 3rd stamen preceding the 4th by ca. 15 spirals, arching over and obscuring pistil; anthers purplish violet to pinkish tan, 0.6–0.8 mm long, 0.8–0.9 mm wide; thecae oblong-ellipsoid to ovoid, slightly divaricate; pollen pale yellow to creamy, fading to white, spicy-scented. Infructescence spreading; spadix (6)14–28 cm long, 2 cm diam., greenish when young; mature fruits unknown; berries reddish brown, obovoid, 8–9 mm long, 4–5 mm diam.; seeds 5–6 mm long, 2.5–2.7 mm diam., 1.3–1.5 mm thick, with a gelatinous appendage at each end.

Type: Ecuador. Manabi: Isla Salango, Barclay 646 (BM, holotype).

Manabi: Isla Salango, 1°36'S, 80°52'W, Barclay 646 (BM); Jipijapa﷓Puerto Lopez, 5 km S of Punta Cayo, 150 m, 1°25'S, 80°42'W, Croat 50708 (B, CAS, K, M, MBM, MO, NY, RSA, SAR, SEL, US, W). N of San Vicente, farm road E of Hda. Napo (Hotel de la Playa), 0°0'S, 80°22'W, 50 m, Croat 50702 (B, CAS, CM, F, GH, IBE, K, MO, OOMOTO, QCA, U); 4 km NNE of San Vicente, Iltis & Mohr 234 (WIS, QCA); 0--120 m, 1°34'S, 80°49'W, 5 April 1991, Cerón et al. 13926 (QCNE, MO). Manabi﷓Guayas: Puerto Lopez﷓Rio Ayampe, 350 m, 1°33--45'S, 80°40'W, Thompson 373 (MO, SAR). Guayas: Manglaralto﷓La Rinconada, Harling et al. 20777 (GB). El Oro: Loja-Pinas, Croat 75522 (MO); Avenillas﷓Pinas, 3°40'S, 79°45--55'W, Thompson 362 (CAS, CM, GH, MO, RSA, UCLA). Machala﷓Loja: 1 km SE of La Avareada, 18 km NW of Saracay, 80 m, 4°25'S, 79°55'W, Croat 50711 (C, MO, P, QCA); 25 km SE of jct. to Pinas, 890 m, 4°15'S, 79°45'W, Croat 50712 (BM, M, MISSA, MO, OOMOTO, QCA). 7.6 km from Tahuir, road to Piedras, 100 m, Thompson 132 (MO); Pacific coastal region: vic. Avareada, Nov. 1990, Croat 75507 (MO). Loja: Antenna rd., Croat 75510 (MO).— Peru.