Epiphyte; stems to 50 cm long, internodes short, 1–2 cm wide; cataphylls 5.4–8.6 cm long, turning reddish brown, persisting semi-intact or soon weathering into semi-intact tan to reddish brown fibers, often with pieces of epidermis remaining; leaves erect or pendent; petioles 21–46 cm long, subterete, obtusely and broadly flattened to sharply convex or V-sulcate, green with darker speckles, sheathed 4–5 cm; geniculum 1.8–3.8 cm long, drying much darker; blades elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 32–51 cm long, 9–17 cm wide, coriaceous, acuminate to cuspidate at apex, acute to weakly attenuate at base, glandular-punctate on both surfaces, markedly bicolorous, dark green and matte above, weakly glossy below; midrib convex on both surfaces, sometimes acute beneath; primary lateral veins 11–13, arising at 45–50 degrees, sunken above, convex below; tertiary veins scarcely visible; collective veins arising from the base, shaped like the primary lateral veins, 1–15 mm from the margin midway; tertiary veins obscure; secondary collective veins usually present at the base, 1–2 mm from the margin. Inflorescence spreading; peduncle 25–45 cm long, to 5 mm diam., as long as or sometimes longer than the petioles, weakly speckled, sometimes striate; spathe light green, oblong-lanceolate, 8–14 cm long, 1.5–2.5 cm wide, chartaceous, inserted 40 degrees angle, then reflexed or recurved, acute at apex, the margins meeting acutely at base; spadix green to pale yellow-green, 7–19 cm long, 3–5 mm diam., sessile or stipitate 2–3 mm, scarcely tapered to the apex; flowers rhombic, 2.1 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, 8–9 visible per spiral; lateral tepals 1–2 mm wide, the inner margin, concave or straight; stamens held at the surface of the tepals; anthers orangish, 0.3 mm long, 0.4 mm wide on drying, the thecae slightly divaricate. Infructescence to 20 cm long, pendent; berries 3–3.5 mm long, pyriform, red; pericarp with raphides, mesocarp mucilaginous; seeds 2–2.5 mm long, elliptic to discoidal, olive-green, 1 per locule.

Ecuador. Pichincha: ENDESA reserve, 8 km N of km 113 on Quito-Puerto Quito road, vic. Río Cabayales, 750 m, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, 16 July 1986, Croat & Rodríguez 61605 (holotype, MO-3423778; isotypes, (AAU, B, BR, CAS, CM, COL, CR, CUVC, DUKE, EAP, F, G, GB, GH, HUA, K, MEXU, MY, NY, P, PMA, Q, QCA, QPLS, QCNE, RB, RSA, SCZ, S, TEX, US, VEN).

Pichincha: Reserva ENDESA, about 8 km North of Km. 113 on Quito-Puerto Quito Hwy, vicinity of Río Cabayales, 700 m, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, 16 Jul 1986, Croat & Rodríguez 61506, (AAU, B, CM, M, MO, NY, QCA, QCNE, US); Reserva Forestal ENDESA, 650-700 M, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, 10 Jun 1984, Jaramillo 6478 (MO, QCA); Reserva ENDESA, Quito-Puerto Quito Rd., Km 113, 10 km N of main hwy, 800 m, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, 28 Feb 1984, Rodríguez 256 (MO, QCA); 20 Feb 1984, Rodríguez 204 (QCA); 237 (QCA), 349 (K, QCA), 411 (QCA); Km 113, Nanegalito-Puerto Quito Road, then north on road to ENDESA Reserve, 602 m, 0°4'52"N, 79°1'44"W, 22 Jul 1998, Croat 82801 (MO),.