Aromatic herb, 1.5-2.5 (3) m tall. Leaves distichous; petioles sheathed, the sheath patterned with small rectangular areas, often extending beyond base of blade; blades oblong to oblong-elliptic, gradually to abruptly acuminate, 4-40 cm long, 2-12 cm wide; veins closely spaced and prominent on underside. Inflorescence sessile or short-pedunculate at apex of stem, 4-15 cm long, conelike, ovoid to oblong; bracts usually orange, persistent, boat-shaped, 2-3 cm long; calyx acutely trilobate, to 1.5 cm long; corolla tubular, trilobate, orange to yellow, to ca 2.5 cm long when mature, slightly exceeding bracts; labellum orange, trilobate, only slightly longer than corolla; style thick at apex. Capsules ovoid to ellipsoid, +/- equaling length of fruiting calyx, prominently striate with whitish lines, topped by the persistent green calyx exserted well above the bracts. Croat 11882. Common in all parts of the forest. Flowers from the late dry season through the rainy season, chiefly from June to September. The fruits mature mostly in the middle to late rainy season, from August to December. Juvenile inflorescences are common by the beginning of the dry season in December.
