Epiphytic; stem short, (1)1.5–2 cm diam.; roots dense, numerous, ascending to spreading, green, smooth when young, soon becoming tomentose, slender and elongate, to 13 cm long, 2–6 mm diam.; cataphylls membranous, 7–10 cm long, narrowly rounded at apex with subapical apiculum ca. 8 mm long, drying tan (B & K yellow 9/2.5), persisting as fine linear fibers. Leaves spreading; petioles 6–25(30) cm long, 4–7 mm diam., D-shaped, flattened to convex to weakly sulcate or occasionally with a medial rib adaxially, the margins sharply raised, rounded abaxially; geniculum thicker and paler than petiole, (0.7)1–2 cm long; blades coriaceous, narrowly elliptic to sometimes narrowly oblanceolate, long-acuminate at apex (the acumen flat), long-attenuate at base, 45–70 cm long, (4)6–11 cm wide, broadest at or near the middle, the margins broadly undulate; upper surface matte, dark to bright green, lower surface glossy to semiglossy, paler; both surfaces drying matte, greenish to yellowish brown; midrib flat to convexly raised above, prominently and acutely raised and paler than surface below; primary lateral veins 25–35 per side, departing midrib at 30–60 degree angle, more or less straight to the collective vein, scarcely raised to flat or weakly sunken above, weakly raised to more or less obscure below, drying slightly raised above and below; interprimary veins numerous, almost as conspicuous as primary lateral veins, obscure when fresh, weakly raised when dried; tertiary veins visible when dried; collective vein arising from near the base, equally as prominent as primary lateral veins, raised when dried, 3–6 mm from margin. Inflorescences pendent to erect-spreading, shorter than leaves; peduncle (21)24–46 cm long, (3)4–5 mm diam., 1.2–6 times as long as petiole, light green tinged with purple or maroon at least at base, terete to subterete and flattened adaxially; spathe deflexed to reflexed, held at 130–160 degree angle to peduncle, often weakly twisted, subcoriaceous, green to green tinged with purple or red (B & K yellow-green 7/10), lanceolate to oblanceolate, (5)7.2–10.5 cm long, (1.8)2.3–3 cm wide, broadest near the base, inserted at 30–90 degree angle on peduncle, abruptly acuminate at apex (the acumen inrolled), obtuse to rounded at base, the margins meeting at 100–140 degree angle; stipe 3–7 mm long or absent; spadix green to yellow-green (B & K yellow-green 6/10), cylindroid, semi-erect to nodding, usually slightly curved, held at (150)130–60 degree angle from peduncle, 5.8–11 cm long, 3–7 mm diam., near base, 3–5 mm diam. near apex; flowers more or less rhombic to 4-lobed, 3–4.5 mm long, 3.7–4.3 mm wide, the sides straight to smoothly or sometimes jaggedly sigmoid; 5–7 flowers visible in principal spiral, 6–8 in alternate spiral; tepals brown, matte to semiglossy, minutely papillate, with abundant droplets present; lateral tepals 1.3–2.5 mm wide, the inner margins broadly convex to straight, scarcely turned up against the pistil, the outer margins 2-sided; pistils prominently emergent, exserted and papillate, the exposed portion squarish, green becoming dark purple; stigma linear to ellipsoid, ca. 0.4 mm long, weakly raised, copious droplets appearing before the stamens emerge; stamens emerging in a regular sequence throughout, held well above the tepals, lateral stamens emerging almost to apex before alternates begin to emerge, arranged in a circle around the pistil; filaments transparent, prominently exserted, yhin and flattened, 1.5–1.7 mm long; anthers orange, becoming pinkish or reddish brown, ca. 0.8 mm long, 0.9 mm wide; thecae oblong-ellipsoid, scarcely divaricate; pollen orange, fading to white or tan. Infructescence with spathe persisting; spadix 9.5–11.5 cm long, 1–1.5 cm diam., with berries scattered throughout; berries orange, ellipsoid, acute and with radial ridges at apex, 6.8–7 mm long, 3.2–3.7 mm diam.; mesocarp mealy; seeds 1 per berry, yellow-brown when dried, more or less ovoid, truncate at both ends, 3.5–5 mm long, 2.2–3 mm diam., 1.5–1.6 mm thick, enveloped by gelatinous, translucent, amber substance.
Type: Ecuador. Pichincha: near Santo Domingo de Los Colorados, 400 m, Sodiro s.n. (Q, holotype).
Esmeraldas: less than 300 m, Cobb 72 (MO); Ibarra--San Lorenzo, Lita, 550--650 m, 10 Jun 1978, Madison et al. 4992 (SEL, K, QCA), 5141, 5199 (SEL); Lita-San Lorenzo Road, ca. 3 km W of Lita, Croat 75325 (MO, WU); Lita; originally collected by Madison, Plowman & Besse; Selby 78-2076, Croat 69736 (cultivated at MO); Lita, 600--650 m, Maas & Cobb 4743 (U, QCA). Carchi: Chical, 1130 m, 0°56'N, 78°14'W, Hoover & Wormley 1402 (MO); Imbabura: vic. Lita, 600 m, Cobb 35 (MO). Río Mira: Ibarra--Lita, 2.5 km E of Lita, 750--775 m, Croat 38977 (M, MO, RSA, SEL). Cotopaxi: Quevedo--Latacunga, 55.5 km from Quevedo, 23.5 km E of La Mana, 930--950 m, 0°53'S, 79°4'W, Croat 57056 (CM, MO). Chimborazo: Río San Juan: Chical, 12 km below Maldonado, 1200 m, 1°4'N, 78°17'W, Madison et al. 4507 (K, SEL, F); Peñas Blancas, 20 km below Maldonado, 1100 m, Madison 6967 (SEL); Gualpi Chico, Forestry Reserve, vic. of encampment at Awa Ethnic, 1330 m, Hoover et.al 3256 (MO).
