Dioecious plant, yellow to orange-yellow or red. Length from fusion with host root to top of inflorescences 3-15 cm. Tubers in a mass, 14-24 cm ø, branching from the base into 3-12 single tubers; single tubers (1-)2-5(-6) cm by (1-)1½-3(-4) cm; surface tessellate being covered by polygonate ‘fields’ 1-2 mm across, with scattered stellate warts. Stem with 2-4(-5) pairs of opposite, decussate, obovate yellow to red leaves, which are patent during anthesis. In a New Guinea specimen preserved in alcohol the leaves are 3¼ by 2½ cm with 7-11 longitudinal nerves. New Guinea and Celebes material has 4, rarely 5 leaves inserted at nearly the same level, thus appearing verticillate. In Philippine material 2-3 leaf pairs are observed, and in Borneo, Malaya, and Sumatra material 2-4(-5) pairs. If more than 2 pairs of leaves present, the pairs are usually somewhat spaced on the stem. The leaves are always nearly of the same size. ♂ Inflorescence 2½-5 by 1½- with expanded flowers. Bracts rudimentary, at most 1 mm long. Pedicels 2-7 mm long. Flowers often in conspicuous vertical rows, bisymmetric or zygomorphic on account of lateral elongation, 4(-5)-merous. Median tepals wide and truncate, 4½ by 3½ mm· Lateral tepals narrow and acute, 4½ by 1 mm. Synandrium with fertile part often slightly obconical, laterally elongated, e.g. length 3 mm, anterior-posterior width 3 mm and lateral width 7 mm. Anther cells parallel, running from base to top of synandrium, longitudinally opening. ♀ Inflorescence obovoid, (¾-)1.5-3(-4) by (½-)1-2½(-3) cm. Spadicles (900-)1000(-1200) μ long with a cylindrical lower part about 600 μ long and 100 μ wide and an obconical upper part about 400 μ long and 200-300 μ wide. ♀ Flowers chiefly on main axis of inflorescence but always a few also on lower part of spadicles. Largest flowers with pistils c. 1150 μ, ovaries c. 180 μ long and 140 μ wide.
Evergreen mountain forests at (300-)1000-2000 m. Parasitizing roots of forest trees. Hosts recorded: Macaranga sp. (Euph.), Ficus sp. (Morac). Flowering all the year round, 66 % of dated collections from June-Nov.
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