Epiphyte; stems to 50 cm or more long; internodes 2–10 cm long, 8–15 mm, mostly less than 1 cm diam.; cataphylls 10–29 cm long, persisting brown and eventually deciduous; petioles 15–27 cm long, 3–5 mm diam., subterete, obscurely flattened adaxially, sheathed 2–10 cm; geniculum 2–5 cm, drying darker than the remainder; blades ovate-elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 25–59 cm long, 5–18.5 cm wide midway, acute to narrowly acuminate at apex, acute to weakly attenuate at base, subcoriaceous, dark green and semiglossy, drying dark brown above, semiglossy to matte and pale green, drying yellowish brown below; midrib convex on both surfaces, concolorous, drying reddish brown below; primary lateral veins 9–12 pairs, sunken above, drying concolorous, weakly raised, convex below, drying reddish brown, arising at an acute angle then spreading to a 50 degree angle, equal in shape to the midrib; collective veins arising from the 2nd–4th primary lateral vein, 4–10 mm from the margin; tertiary veins in part sunken above, weakly raised below; inflorescence spreading; peduncle 16–42 cm long, 4 mm diam., up to 1.5 times longer than the petiole; spathe 6–16 cm long, 1.2–2.2 cm wide, linear-lanceolate, medium green usually with purplish violet lines, inserted at an angle of 40 degrees, erect-spreading, finally recurved, acuminate at apex, the margins meeting at an obtuse angle at the base; spadix dark violet-purple, sessile, 6–19 cm long, 4–5 mm diam. at base, 2–3 mm diam. toward apex; flowers 7–9 per spiral, rhombic, 2 by 2.8 mm diam.; tepals matte, 2.5–3 mm long, 1.5 x 2.5 mm wide, lateral tepals slightly raised; stamens 1–1.15 mm long; infructescence to 30 cm long, pendent, berries orange to red, globose, slightly pointed, early-emergent, to 6 mm long, pericarp thick with raphide cells at the base, mesocarp white and pasty; seeds 3.2–3.8 mm long, 2 mm thick, greenish yellow, 1 per locule.

Type: Ecuador. Los Ríos: Río Palenque Science Center, Quevedo–Santo Domingo, Km 56, 150–220 m, Madison 2114 (holotype, SEL; clonotypes MO, QCA, US).

Esmeraldas: Quinindé Cantón: NE of Golondrinas, Cooperativa 3 de Septembre, sector San Isidro, near Río Jordán, 0°20'N, 79°12"W, 300 m, Palacios 11484 (MO, QCNE); Cotacachi–Cayapas, 130 m, 0°45'N, 78°55'W, Tipaz 2664 (MO, QCNE); Cotacachi–Cayapas, 150 m, 0°43'N, 78°53'W, Palacios & Tirado 11267 (MO, QCNE); Cotacachi Cayapas, 280 m, 0°40'N, 78°57'W, Alvarez & Herrera (informante) 699 (MO, QCNE); Bilsa, 400–600 m, 0°21'N, 79°44'W, Clark et al. 294 (F, MO, QCNE); Clark & Watt 894 (QCNE, MO); 100–300 m, 0°20'N, 79°28'W, Clark et al. 2790 (MO, QCNE); Bilsa Biological Station, 400–600 m, 0°21'N, 79°44'W, Clark 2162 (QCNE); Clark et al. 3729 (MO, QCNE); Bilsa Biological Station. Montañas de Mache, 35 km W of Quinindé, 5 km Santa Isabel. S side of ridge SW of banana plantation behind Station, 400-600 m, 0°21'N, 79°44'W, Bass & Pitman 206 (QCNE, MO); Reserva Cotacachi-Cayapas, al pie de Río Bravo, 50 m, 0°39'S, 78°59'W, Cornejo & Bonifaz 6250, 6252 (GUAY, MO). Guayas: Comuna Loma Alta, 300 m, 1°53'S, 80°37'W, Cornejo & Bonifaz 5562 (GUAY, MO). Los Ríos: Río Palenque Science Center, 200 m, Madison 2114 (AAU, MO, F, MEXU, SEL); Río Palenque Biological Station, 150–220 m, 0°35'S, 79°22'W, Dodson 5671 (MO, RPSC, SEL, US); Quevedo-Santo Domingo, Río Palenque Science Center, Km 56, 200 m, Madison 4143 (NY). El Oro: 10 km W of Piñas, 900 m, Dodson & Gentry 8979 (MO). Carchi: Reserva Indígena Awá, Parroquia Tobar Donoso, sector El Baboso,1600 m, 0°53'N, 78°20'W, ipaz et al. 301 (MO). Pichincha: Tinalandia, 9.6 km E of Santo Domingo de los Colorados; 600 m, 0°16'S, 79°07'W, Croat 55676 (B, MO, QCA); Reserva ENDESA, about 8 km North of Km 113 on Quito-Puerto Quito Highway, vicinity of Río Cabayales, 700 m, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, Croat & Rodríguez 61496 (MO), 61501 (CM, G, K, MO, QCA, US); Calicali-Nanegalito, 24.6 km W of Mitad del Mundo, 16.8 km W of Calicali, 2175 m, 0°1'N, 78°34'W, Croat 72886 (MO); Río Blanco immediately below the confluence with Rio Toachi, 300 m, Harling 4514 (S), 4511 (S); Jaramillo 6773, 6990, 7582 (QCA); Quito-Puerto Quito rd, Km 113, 10 km N of main road, 800 m, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, Rodríguez 213, 228 (CR, QCA), 245 (CR, QCA), 355, 374 (QCA), 379 (MO, QCA); Reserva de ENDESA, 600 m, 0°6'N, 79°2'W, Låegaard 52242 (QCA); vicinity of Santo Domingo de Los Colorados; vicinity of Peripa SW of Santo Domingo, 250 m, 0°9'34"S, 78°28'43"W, Croat & Nuñez 82097 (MO); road from Calacalí to Tandayapa, at Km 22 (west of junction into town of Calacalí), 1000 m, 0°1'3"N, 78°36'25"W, Croat & Whitehill 82734 (MO). Cotopaxi: La Maná Cantón: Guayacán–Montenuevo (N of Pucayacu), 1,480–1,530 m, 0°39'S, 79°05'W, Croat 73741 (MO, QCNE); 1 km N of Pucayacu, 22 km N of Palmar on Quevedo–Latacunga Hwy, 670 m, 0°41'30"S, 79°06'30"W, Croat 57077 (MO); Quevedo–El Corazón, 1.9 km NW of El Corazón, 1225 m, 1°07'S, 79°06'W, Croat 55816 (MO, QCNE). Loja: Plowman 14073 (F, SEL). Zamora-Chinchipe: Christenson 1452 (MO).