Terrestrial herb or rarely hemiepiphytic; internodes (2)4–(6)10 cm long, 6–10 cm diam, drying yellow-brown, finely to coarsely ridged; cataphylls 12–18 cm long, deciduous or persistent at upper nodes as a network of thin, pale fibers; petioles terete, 29–43 cm long, ca 1.5 times longer than blades, drying sometimes yellowish brown; blades 27–44.5 cm long, 20–25 cm wide, ovate-cordate, broadest above point of petiole attachment, subcoriaceous, conspicuously bullate, acuminate at apex; midrib narrowly raised and concolorous above, convex and paler below, sparcely strigose on lower surface, drying moderately paler below; primary lateral veins 5–10 per side, arising at 45–50 degrees° (70 degrees), drying paler than surface; tertiary veins impressed above, prominently raised, thicker than broad and conspicuously strigose below; reticulate veins prominulous on both surfaces; collective veins arising from third basal veins, 4–6 mm from margins; posterior lobes directed toward the base or inward, sometimes overlapping; sinus obovate, 7–9 cm deep, 1.7–4 cm wide. Inflorescences erect-spreading; peduncles 14–19 cm long, drying 2–3 mm diam; spathe green, 6.5–13.5 cm long, 1.2 cm wide; spadix dark purple, narrowly tapered, (6.7)10–18 cm long, drying ca 4–10 mm diam, sessile to stipitate to ca 7 mm long; flowers 5–6 per spriral, 2–2.5 mm long; lateral tepals 1.2–1.4 mm wide, the outer margins-sided, acute, inner margins broadly rounded. Berries not seen.

Type: Colombia. Cauca: Lehmann XXIX (Holotype, B).

Tunguragua: Cordillera de Llanganates, valley of Río Sangarinas (Desaguadero), "La Trinca", 3000 m., Asplund 9797 (S). Azuay: Eastern Cordillera, 1--8 km N of Sevilla de Oro, 2438--2743 m, Camp 4433 (NY). Napo: Cantón Qujos, 28 mi. E of Baeza, before Salada, 1615 m, Plowman et al. 3931 (S). Zamora-Chinchipe: Chinchipe, Pargue Nacional Podocarpus, La Esmerada (Cooperativa San Francisco de Numbala Alto), 4°22'S, 79°3'W, 2250m, Palacios & Tirado 13041 (MO, QCNE).