Epiphytic; stems short, 5–20 cm long; internodes short, 1–2.0 cm diam.; roots slender, in a dense, knarled mass, branched and tangled; cataphylls to 2.5–4 cm long, narrowly triangular, promptly deciduous or weathering to persistent reddish brown fibers; leaves in rosette, more or less erect; petioles 3–7 cm long, 4–5 mm diam., subterete, C-shaped, sharply sulcate, rounded at base, sometimes sharply angular adaxially toward apex, with purplish violet spots, sheathed from one-third to fully throughout its length, dark green and semiglossy; geniculum 5–15 mm long, sharply sulcate; blades 20–40 cm long, 6–13.5 cm wide, moderately coriaceous, weakly bicolorous, oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, acute to rounded and weakly cuspidate at apex, attenuate to acute at base, upper surface medium green with dark glandular punctations, slightly paler below with more conspicuous glandular punctations, both surfaces drying yellow-brown to gray-green; midrib flat to moderately prominent and concolorous or slightly paler above, sharply acute and concolorous or paler below, drying prominently raised on both surfaces; primary lateral veins 14–20, arising at an angle of 45–55 degrees, scarcely visible above, weakly visible on both surfaces, darker than surface below, drying scarcely more conspicuous than the frequent interprimary veins; tertiary veins below obscure; collective veins arising from the base or from one of the primary lateral veins in the lower one-fourth of blade, 3–9 mm from margin. Inflorescence erect to erect-spreading; peduncle (12)16–26 (34) cm long, subterete with one prominent angle, 2–3 mm diam., 6–12 times longer than petioles, with sparse violet-purple spots; spathe linear-lanceolate, subcoriaceous, 5–7(10) cm long, 4–5(10) mm wide, green, sometimes tinged red or purple or with purplish violet lines, sometimes with whitish speckles on both surfaces, inserted at a 30 degree angle, spreading to recurved or reflexed-spreading, acute at apex, the margins meeting at 110 degrees at base; spadix (7)11–20 cm long, 3–6(10) mm diam., cream to pale green, pale gray-green to pale yellow-green, or rarely yellow, sessile or subsessile (to 2 mm), weakly curved; flowers rhombic, 1.3–2.3 mm long, 1.7–3 mm wide; tepals 1–1.3 mm wide, covered with violet-purple dots; stamens 1.2 mm long; anthers yellowish, to 0.8 mm long. Infructescence pendent, 18–25 cm long, tepals reddish; berries subglobose to broadly obovate, reddish, emerging from throughout the spadix.

Type: Ecuador. Pichincha: Reserva Endesa, 8 km N of km. 113 on Quito-Puerto Quito Highway, vic. of Río Cabuyales, ca. 700 m, 0°05'N, 79°02'W, 16 July 1986, Croat & Rodríguez 61517 (holotype MO-3422810; isotypes, AAU, B, K, NY, QCA, US).

Esmeraldas: 300--500 m, 1°5'N, 78°40'W, 12 May 1990, Gentry et al.70047 (AAU, CM, MO, NY, QCNE, US); Río San Miguel, Harling 4706 (S), upstream from Pueblo Cayapas, 200 m, 0°45'N, 78°54'W, Holm-Nielsen et al. 25370 (AAU); Pueblo San Miguel, 200 m, 0°45'N, 78°54'W, Holm-Nielsen et al. 25380 (AAU); Río Cayapas, at Playa Grande, ca. 2 km SE of San Francisco de Cayapas, Sparre 18070 (S); Río Cayapas, Zapallo Grande, 100 m, 0°48'N, 78°55'W, Kvist & Azanza 40759 (AAU); San Lorenzo Cantón: Lita-San Lorenzo, 40.1 km W of Lita, 350 m, 0°56'N, 78°40'W, Croat 72315, 72345 (MO, QCNE); 32 km E of Lita, 250 m., 0°55'N, 78°38'W, Rubio & Quelal 721 (MO QCA), 727 (MO, QCNE); 5 km W of Lita, 700 m, 0°51'N, 78°31'W, Lawesson et al. 44042 (AAU, QCA); Reserva Awa, 300 m, 1°10'N, 78°32'w, 19 Oct 1992--24 Oct 1992, Tipaz et al.2139 (MO, QCNE); Fila de Bilsa, 280 m, 0°37'N, 79°51'W, 29 Jan 1991, Gentry et al.72886 (CM, MO, QCNE); 200 m, 1°08'N, 78°33'W, 21 Sep 1992, Aulestia et al.372 (MO); Parroquia Ricaurte, Reserva Indígena Awá, Centro Guadualito, 1°15'N, 78°45'W, 80 m, Aulestia et al. 146 (MO, QCNE), 1°15'N, 78°40'W, 80 m, Aulestia et al. 284 (MO, QCNE); Awá Reserve, Comunidad Balsareño, Río Palabí, 1°09'N, 78°31'W, Rubio & Quelal 1315 (MO, QCNE); down Río Palabí from camp, 150--250 m, 1°7'N, 78°37'W, Hoover et al. 3785; Quinindé, NE of Golondrinas, Sitio La Bella Jungla, Cooperativa Unidos Venceremos, ca. 300 m, 0°20'N, 79°12'W, Palacios 11461 (MO, QCNE); Cooperativa 3 de Septembre, sector San Isidro, near Río Jordán, 0°20'N, 79°12', 300 m, Palacios 11492 (MO, QCNE). Carchi: trail along plain above Tobar Donoso and to Río Gualpe; 1°10'N, 78°24'W, 800--1,300 m, Hoover 1212 (MO). Pichincha: Rancho Brahman, 10 km NW of Santo Domingo de los Colorados on road to Esmeraldas, 400 m, Sparre 15230 (S). ENDESA collections: Croat 73153 (MO, CAS, CM, K, QCNE); Croat & Rodríguez 61517 (MO, QCA); Grayum et al. 9356 (MO); Rodríguez 172 (QCA), 311 (MO, QCA), 337 (MO, QCA), 412, 422 (QCA).