Stem to 21 cm long, ca. 3 cm diam.; leaf scars conspicuous or obscured by root mass, 0.5–1 cm high,0.6–0.8 cm wide; roots ascending to spreading to descending,green to light brown (B & K yellow-red 9/7.5), smooth to sometimes weakly pubescent, tapered, elongate, 4–7 mm diam.; cataphylls subcoriaceous, weakly 1-ribbed near the apex, 5–8 cm long,narrowly acute and apiculate at apex, drying tan to reddish brown, persisting semi-intact, eventually as a reticulum of fibers with the apex remaining intact. Leaves erect to spreading; petioles 3.5–14 cm long, 4–9 mm diam., D-shaped to C-shaped, slightly sulcate adaxially, with the margins sharply to obtusely raised, rounded to sometimes obscurely 1–2-ribbed abaxially, the surface obscurely short-lineate; geniculum paler and thicker than petiole, becoming minutely and transversely fissured and scurfy abaxially, (0.7)1–2.2 cm long; blades subcoriaceous, elliptic to oblanceolate, gradually acuminate at apex (the acumen apiculate), narrowly acute to obtuse to weakly rounded at base, 17–57 cm long,7.5–20 cm wide, broadest at or above the middle, the margins weakly undulate; upper surface semiglossy, medium green,lower surface matte to weakly glossy, paler, drying greenish to yellowish green; midrib flat at base with blunt medial rib, narrowing and acute toward the apex above, convexly raised and paler than surface below; primary lateral veins 5–7 per side, departing midrib at 30–45 degree angle, more or less straight, raised and weakly paler than surface above, convex below; interprimary veins absent; tertiary veins obscure above, visible below; reticulate veins obscure above, darker than surface below; collective vein arising from near the apex, weakly sunken above, prominulous below, 2–9 mm from margin. Inflorescences spreading, usually several present at once; peduncle 5–10 cm long, 4 mm diam., equaling to usually ca. 0.5 times as long as petioles, green (B & K yellow-green 6/7.5), terete; spathe reflexed-spreading, coriaceous, pale green, sometimes weakly tinged with red (B & K yellow-green 8/10), oblong-lanceolate, 3–3.5 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide, broadest in the lower third, inserted at 75 degree angle on peduncle, gradually to abruptly acuminate at apex (the acumen inrolled, hooked), acute to decurrent at base, the margins strongly downturned, meeting at 60–80 degree angle; spadix pale, dull green, somewhat tinged with brown, sessile, cylindroid to sometimes weakly clavate, erect, held at ca 90 degree angle from peduncle, 3.5–4.7 cm long, 6–7 mm diam. near base, 3–4 mm diam. near apex, broadest at the base; flowers rhombic to 4-lobed, 1.7–2.3(2.6) mm long, 1.3–2.3 mm wide, the sides straight to jaggedly sigmoid; 13–15 flowers visible in principal spiral, 9 in alternate spiral; tepals matte, minutely papillate; lateral tepals 1.5–1.8 mm wide, the inner margins broadly rounded, the outer margins irregularly 3-sided; pistils weakly emergent, purplish violet; stigma linear, slit-like, 0.3 mm long; stamens emerging in a prompt, erratic sequence, the laterals extending to the apex in a scattered pattern before the 3rd stamen emerge, laterals followed by alternates in a rapid succession but very irregularly on the spadix (sometimes the 4th stamen appearing first); anthers white, 0.6 mm long, 0.7 mm wide, obscuring pistil; thecae ellipsoid, not divaricate; pollen drying white. Infructescence not seen.

Type: Ecuador. Pastaza:Puyo; originally collected by Mickey Carmichael, Croat 55207 (MO 3104658, holotype; AAU, B, K, M, NY, RSA, U,US, isotypes; cult. at MO).

Pastaza: Puyo; cult. at MO and originally collected by Mickey Carmichael: ca. 1000 m, Croat 55207 (AAU, B, K, M, MO, NY, RSA, U, US).