Hemiepiphytic; stem more or less scandent, loosely appressed-climbing, to 3 m long, semiglossy, sap clear, watery, sticky, leaf scars to 2 cm wide; internodes slender, 14–20 cm long, 1–2 cm diam., longer than broad, sometimes somewhat flattened on side above, semiglossy, green to grayish green, epidermis drying tannish brown, cracking, loosening and flaking; roots pale to brownish, less than 20 cm long, thin, 2 mm diam., smooth; cataphylls (6)10–17 cm long, sharply 2-ribbed, sharply and deeply sulcate with margins flared, pale to medium green, drying yellowish to olive-green, deciduous; petioles 15.5–56 cm long, 3–9(12) mm diam., broadly flattened to markedly flattened and turned slightly upward adaxially, broadly convex abaxially, firm, medium to dark green, surface more or less unmarked; blades ovate-triangular to broadly ovate, subcoriaceous, semiglossy to glossy, weakly to moderately bicolorous, acuminate, sometimes long, narrowly acuminate at apex (the acumen tightly inrolled, 2–3 mm long), weakly cordate at base, 17–39 cm long, 12.7–29 cm wide (1–1.5 times longer than wide), (0.6–1.4 times longer than petiole), usually about equal in length to petiole; anterior lobe 15–34 cm long, 13–29 cm wide (2.4–4.5(5.2–5.4) times longer than posterior lobes); posterior lobes 4–10 cm long, 5–12 cm wide, broadly rounded to obtuse; sinus hippocrepiform, rarely arcuate with blade decurrent on petiole; midrib sunken or flat to broadly convex above, slightly paler than surface to concolorous above, bluntly low-triangular to convex below, paler than surface below; basal veins (2)3–4(5) per side, with 0–1 free to base, second and third coalesced 1–2 cm; posterior rib naked for 0–1 cm; primary lateral veins 3–5 per side, departing midrib at a 50–60 degree angle, straight to the margins, sunken to weakly sunken above, convex below; minor veins moderately indistinct, arising from both the midrib and primary lateral veins. Inflorescences 1(2) per axil; peduncle 5–20 cm long, 2–11 mm diam., subterete or bluntly 1–2-angled, pale green, semiglossy, unmarked; spathe semiglossy, (8)11–18 cm long (0.7–2(2.8) times longer than peduncle); spathe blade green or red outside, pale yellow-green (dark red in So. America) inside; spathe tube green to olive-green, usually tinged red or maroon outside, 4.5–7.5 cm long, tinged red or maroon inside; spadix sessile; weakly tapered, more or less acute at apex, 8–9.8 cm long, broadest at the base or more or less uniform throughout, constricted weakly between sterile and fertile staminate portions; pistillate portion pale greenish, cylindrical or weakly tapered toward the apex, 2.5(3.5) cm long, 9–11 mm diam. at apex, 10–13 mm diam. at middle, 10–13 mm wide at base; staminate portion 5.7–7.3 cm long; fertile staminate portion white, weakly tapered or cylindrical, 5–7 mm diam. at base, 4–5 mm diam. ca. 1 cm from apex, broadest at the base or more or less uniform, narrower than the pistillate portion, broader than or as broad as the sterile portion; sterile staminate portion as broad as or slightly narrower than the pistillate portion, 5–10 mm diam.; pistils (0.8)1.7–2.5 mm long, (0.6)0.9–1.4 mm diam., white; ovary (6)7–8-locular, (0.7)1.1–1.8 mm long, 0.8–1.2 mm diam., with sub-basal placentation; locules 0.7–1.5 mm long, 0.3 mm diam., ovule sac 0.8 mm long; ovules 3 per locule, arranged in one row, contained within translucent to transparent, gelatinous envelope, (0.2–0.3)0.4–0.5 mm long, longer than funicle; funicle 0.2–0.3 mm long, (can be pulled free to base), style (0.1)0.4–0.7 mm long, 0.6–0.8 mm diam., similar to style type B; style apex steeply sloping, sometimes with small medial depression; stigma subdiscoid to hemispheroid, somewhat cupullate, 0.7–0.9(1.3) mm diam., 0.2–0.3 mm high, covering entire style apex; the androecium prismatic, truncate, oblong, margins irregularly 4–6-sided, sometimes weakly scalloped; thecae cylindrical to oblong, 0.3–0.4 mm wide, more or less parallel to one another, sometimes more or less contiguous; sterile staminate flowers irregularly 4–6-sided or rounded, 0.9–1.5 mm long, 0.7–1.2 mm wide. Infructescence turning red outside; berries green (immature).
Type: Ecuador. Los Ríos: Río Palenque Science Center, km 56 on road to Santo Domingo and Quevedo, 50--220 m, ca. 0°35'S, 79°22'W, Dodson 6638 (holotype, SEL; isotypes, MO, QCA, US).
Esmeraldas: shore of Río Esmeraldas opposite Quininde, Asplund 16341 (S). Los Rios: Rio Palenque Biological Station, km 56 Quevedo--Santo Domingo, 150--220 m, 0°35'S, 79°22W, Dodson 6322 (RPSC, SEL); Dodson 6332 (MO); Dodson 6638 (MO, RPSC, SEL, US); Madison 3833 (Cult) (MO, US); Río Palenque Science Center, 200 m, Gentry & Dodson 28483 (MO). Pichincha: E side of Río Lelia, ca. 16 km (as-the-crow-flies) SE of Santo Domingo de los Colorados. 800 m, 0°18.5'S, 79°2'W, Grayum & Zamora 9419 (MBM, MO, QCA); Reserva Endesa, about 8 km North of Km. 113 on Quito--Puerto Quito Highway, vicinity of Río Caba yales; 700 m, 0°5'N, 79°2'W, Croat & Rodríguez 61515 (MO); Santo Domingo de los Colorados--Aloag, Tinalandia, 9.6 km E of Santo Domingo de los Colorados, 700 m, 0°16'S, 79°7'W, Croat 55744 (MO); road Aloag -- Santo Domingo, Alluriquin, at confluence between Rio Alluriquin and Río Toáchi, 600 m, Sparre 14839 (S), 850 m, Sparre 13819 (S), 600 m, Sparre 14776 (S).
