Epiphytic or secondarily terrestrial in regrowth; stems to 60 cm long; internodes short, 2–3 cm diam.; cataphylls 14–30 cm long, green, promptly turning red-brown, persisting intact at upper nodes, eventually deciduous; petioles terete, sometimes obtusely sulcate, 25–115 cm long, 6–8 mm diam., flexible, sheathed 5–10 mm diam.; geniculum 2.5–5.5 cm long, pale green; blades narrowly ovate-cordate, 28–61 cm long, 24–42 cm wide, (1.2)1.4–1.7 times longer than wide, mostly 1.5 times longer than wide, broadest just above the base, semiglossy, slightly bicolorous, dark green above drying dark brown to grayish, slightly paler beneath, drying reddish brown to grayish, abruptly acuminate at apex, deeply cordate at base, the lobes rounded; both surfaces dark glandular punctate, lower surface with glands more conspicuous (at least on drying), concentrated principally in the vicinity of the major veins; sinus hippocrepiform to spatulate, 6–14 cm deep; midrib convex above, more prominent, acute and paler below, drying reddish brown; primary lateral veins 7–9 pairs, convex above, bluntly acute below, departing at 35–45 cm long, weakly curved to the collective vein; collective veins arising usually from the 1st pair of basal veins, sometimes the 2nd pair of basal veins, rarely from one of the primary lateral veins, loop-connected and often difficult to discern; tertiary veins obscure below; basal veins 5–7, all free to the base; inflorescence erect; peduncle 16–64 cm long, 5–10 mm diam., subterete, obtusely sulcate, about 3/4 as long at the petioles; spathe light green, lanceolate and boat-shaped, erect, erect-spreading, sometimes slightly hooding the end of the spadix, 11–28 cm long, 2–8 cm wide; subcoriaceous, acuminate at apex, inserted at 20 degrees angle and meeting at an acute angle at base; spadix creamy white, cylindrical, 8–17 cm long, 6–20 mm diam., stipitate 5–8 mm; flowers more or less quadrangular, 2.1–2.6 mm long, 2–2.2 mm wide (dried) 10–18 visible per spiral; tepals drying ca. 1 m wide, the inner margin rounded ca 1.4 mm wide; stamens held at the level of the tepals, anthers yellow drying 0.6 mm long, 0.6 mm wide, scarcely divaricate; infructescence erect, to 19 cm long; berries 3.5–8.5 mm long, claviforme, carmen-red, white at the base, drying narrowly acute; pericarp thick with raphides toward the base, mesocarp mucilaginous, yellowish; seeds 3–3.5 mm long, discoidal, green, 1 per locule.

Type: Ecuador. Pichincha: ENDESA reserve, 9 km N of km 113 on Quito--Puerto Quito Highway, ca. 750 m, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, 15 July 1986, Croat & Rodríguez 61457 (holotype MO-3422149; isotypes, AAU, B, CAS, COL, F, K, M, NY, QCA, QCNE, US, VEN).

Esmeraldas: Quinindé Cantón: Bilsa Biological Reserve, Montañas de Mache, 35 km W of Santa Isabela, 0°21'N, 79°44'W, Pitman & Kueppers 739 (QCNE, MO); Fila de Bilsa, 7 km E of San José Bilsa, 400--600 m, 0°37'N, 79°51'W, Gentry & Josse 72844 (MO); Zapallo, 20 km SE of San Mateo, 500 m, 0°59'N, 79°34'W, Balslev & Steere 3119 (AAU); Esmeraldas--El Sucio, 2.3 km S of El Sucio, 18.6 km S of Atacames--Muisne Road, 180 m, 0°36'N, 79°54'W, Croat 73094 (MO); Lita--San Lorenzo, 16.6 km W of Lita, 0.5 km W of Anchayaca, 700 m, 0°55'N, 78°28'W, Croat 72262 (MO). Bilsa Biological Station, Mache mountains, 35 km W of Quinindé, 5 km W of Santa Isabel, 400--600 m, 0°21'N, 79°44'W, Clark & Troya 535 (QCNE, MO, NY), 400--600 m, 20 Nov 1995, Clark et al. 1603 (MO), 500 m, Clark et al. 3675 (MO, QCNE), 3731 (F, K, MO, QCNE, US); Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi Cayapas. Río Santiago, 200 m, 0°49'S, 78°45'W, Tirado et al. 1092 (QCNE, MO); Cotacachi Cayapas, San Miguel. Río Cayapas, Sector Loma Linda, 300 m, 0°45'N, 78°47'W, Tipaz et al. 2281 (MO, QCNE). Manabi: Pata, Cerro Pata de Pajaro, 10 km E of Pedernales, 300--700 m, 0°1'N, 79°58'W, Clark et al. 2680 (MO, QCNE). Los Ríos: Río Palenque Biological Station, 0°35'S, 79°22'W, 150--220 m, Dodson 6682 (RPSC, SEL), Dodson 6391 (MO, SEL); Montañas de Ila, 12 km W of Patricia Pilar, 600 m, Madison 4271 (SEL); 410 m, vic. Centinela, 12.5 km E of Patricia Pilar, Davenport et al. 2061 (MISSA); La Centinela, 13 km E of Patricia Pilar, 0°32'N, 79°11'W, 1,000 m, Croat 73000 (MO, QCNE); 29.5 km E of Patricia Pilar, 450--475 m, 0°33'N, 79°22'W, Croat 50675 (MO QCA); 10 km E of Patricia Pilar, 500 m, 0°37'S, 79°48'W, Palacios & Freire 7414 (MO, QCNE); Patricia Pilar--24 de Mayo, km 12, Cordillera de Chujchigán, 540 m, Dodson 6108 (cultivated at Selby Gardens 76-0091-030). ). El Oro: 14 km W of Piñas, 740 m, Schupp et al. 25 (MO, QCA); 11 km W of Piñas, Dodson et al. 9017 (MO, SEL). Pichincha: Santo Domingo de los Colorados Cantón: Río Blanco, just S of Valle Hermoso, 25 km NW of Santo Domingo, 0°5'N, 79°15'W, 410 m, Croat 72984 (CM, GH, HUA, M, MO, PMA, QCNE); Tinalandia, along Río Toachí, 9.6 km E of Santo Domingo de los Colorados, 600 m, 0°16'S, 79°7'W, Croat 55678 (MO); Reserva ENDESA, 650--700 m, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, 24 Mar 1985, Jaramillo 7604 (QCA); 9 km N of Km 113 on Quito--Puerto Quito Hwy, ca. 750 m, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, Croat & Rodríguez 61457 (MO, AAU, B, CAS, COL, F, K, M, NY, QCA, QCNE, US, VEN); 800 m, Rodriguez 344A (K, MO, QCA); Santo Domingo--Esmeraldas Hwy, Valle Hermoso, 25 km NW of Santo Domingo, 1.9 km N of highway, near bridge over Río Blanco, 410 m, 0°5'S, 79°15'W, Croat 72992 (MO); 140 m, 0°0'9"S, 79°22'53"W, Benavides et al. 493 (MO); 250 m, 0°9'34"S, 78°28'43"W, Benavides & Calazacón 459 (MO); vic. of Santo Domingo de Los Colorados; vic. of Peripa SW of Santo Domingo, 250 m, 0°9'34"S, 78°28'43"W, Croat & Nuñez 82096 (QCNE, MO). Cotopaxi: along road between Guayacán (13.1 km NE of La Mana) and Montenuevo (N of Pucayacu), 23.8 km N of Guayacán, 3.5 km N of Pucayacu, 800 m, 0°41'S, 79°6'W, Croat 73250 (MO); Along road between El Corazón and Quevedo, 10.8 km W of El Corazón, 890 m, 1°10'S, 79°10'W, Croat 73728 (MO). Tungurahua: Cantón Baños: Parroquia Río Negro, 1500 m, 1°24'S, 78°10'W, Cerón 1565 (MO). Cañar: East of Manta Real, 500--700 m, 2°33'S, 79°20'W, Cornejo et al. 3428 (GUAY, MO).