Terrestrial; stem to 19 cm long, ca. 1 cm diam.; roots dense, ascending, green to whitish, pubescent to smooth, short, 1–1.5 cm long, 5–6 mm diam.; cataphylls subcoriaceous, linear-lanceolate, 3–10.5 cm long, obtuse to acute or acuminate at apex, drying reddish brown (B & K yellow-red 4/10), persisting more or less intact, splitting at base. Leaves erect-spreading; petioles 4–7 cm long, 5–7 mm diam., erect-spreading, subtriangular, convexly raised to obtusely ribbed, sometimes broadly sulcate adaxially, the margins sharply raised, somewhat rounded and sharply 1-ribbed abaxially, conspicuously swollen to 14 mm diam. at base; geniculum slightly paler and conspicuously thicker than petiole, 0.5–2 cm long; blades subcoriaceous, oblong-linear, acute, sometimes apiculate at apex, acute to rounded at base, 25–85 cm long, 2.5–6.5 cm wide, broadest at or near the middle, the margins broadly and shallowly undulate; upper surface matte to semiglossy, medium green, lower surface matte, conspicuously paler; midrib above obtusely raised at base, becoming sharply and acutely raised and higher than broad toward the apex, pale-speckled, slightly paler than surface, below acute throughout, paler and more yellowish than surface; primary lateral veins 8–15 per side, departing midrib at 30–60(-70) degree angle, not well distinguished from interprimary veins, slightly arcuate to the margin, weakly sunken to weakly raised in shallow grooves, rather obscure above; interprimary veins almost as conspicuous as primary lateral veins; tertiary veins obscure above, conspicuously darker than surface below, prominulous on both surfaces when dried; collective vein usually arising from near the apex, sometimes from near the base, obscure above, equally as prominent as interprimary veins below, 1–7 mm from margin. Inflorescences erect-spreading to spreading, shorter than or equalling leaves; peduncle 38–57 cm long, 4 mm diam., 7.6–19(38) times as long as petiole, green, terete; spathe spreading to reflexed-spreading, coriaceous, yellow-green, sometimes tinged with purple abaxially (B & K yellow-green 5/7.5), narrowly lanceolate, 7–8.5 cm long, 0.8–1.5 cm wide, broadest near the base, inserted at 45 degree angle on peduncle, acuminate at apex (the acumen inrolled), obtusely rounded at base; spadix glaucous, dull lavender-purple (B & K purple 5/2.5), sessile, slightly tapered, cylindroid, erect, 5–8.2 cm long, 7–9 mm diam. near base, 4–6 mm diam. near apex, broadest at the base; flowers 4-lobed, 2.1–2.6 mm long, (1.5)2.4–3 mm wide, the sides weakly sigmoid; (4)7–9 flowers visible in principal spiral, (3)5–7 in alternate spiral; tepals matte; lateral tepals 0.8–1.4 mm wide, the inner margins weakly concave to slightly rounded, the outer margins usually 2-, sometimes 3–4-sided; pistils emergent, bright green (B & K yellow 5/2.5); stigma ellipsoid, 0.3–0.4 mm long; stamens emerging in a regular sequence from the base, the laterals preceding the alternates by 9 spirals, the 3rd stamen preceding the 4th by 3 spirals, borne at edge of tepals in a circle around the pistil; anthers straw-colored (B & K yellow-red 9/10), 0.6 mm long, 0.8 mm wide; thecae ovoid, slightly or not divaricate; pollen pale yellow] (B & K yellow 9/2.5), sweetly scented at anthesis. Infructescence with persistent spathe; fruits not seen.

Type: Ecuador. Manabi: between El Recreo and Agua Amarga, Eggers 15530 (B, hololectotype; F, K, isolectoptypes).

Manabi: 6 km N of Bahia de Caraquez, 3--4 km E of ocean, 50 m, 0°30'S, 80°22'W, Croat 50697 (K, MO, NY, QCA, US); El Recreo--Agria Amarga, 0°29'S, 80°27'W, Eggers 15530 (B, F, K, NY). Guayas: Originally collected by T. Fennell along the Pacific coast, N of Guayaquil, Croat 55206 (MO, SEL, WU).