Plants usually terrestrial but said to be sometimes epiphytic, the caudex 2 cm. or less in diameter; cataphylls large, oblong, pink, ob-tuse, setose, 5-8 cm. long; petioles stout, terete or subangulate, 10-18 cm. long, dark red, cov-ered everywhere with long soft scales or setae; blades herbaceous, broadly ovate-cordate, 15-45 cm. long, 10-30 cm. wide, acuminate, very deeply cordate at the base, with a narrow sinus, the lobes broadly rounded, glabrous, green above and usually with a metallic luster, somewhat paler beneath and often purplish, the primary lateral nerves 4-5 on each side; peduncles 10-20 cm. long, 1 cm. thick, densely setose; spathe 7-11 cm. long, densely setose outside, greenish outside, purplish or whitish within, acute; spadix sessile, the pistillate portion pale, oblong, 4-5 cm. long or in fruit as much as 7 cm. and 2-3 cm. thick, the staminate por-tion whitish, 6-7 cm. long; pistils cylindric, 4-or 5-celled; berries whitish or pale yellowish, narrowly cylindric, almost 1 cm. long.