Small epiphyte, 7-20 cm tall; pseudobulbs oblong-elliptic, strongly flattened, 2-5 cm long, densely clustered and inserted at an acute angle on a short rhizome, enveloped at base by several densely dark-spotted, imbricate, papery bracts. Leaves solitary at apex of pseudobulb, +/- oblong-elliptic, 5-12 cm long, 2-3.5 cm wide. Scapes solitary, 1-flowered, to 6 cm long, from base of pseudobulb; sepals and petals lanceolate, acuminate, free and spreading, subequal, 3-4 cm long; ca 5 mm wide, greenish-yellow; lip forming a tube around the column, flared at apex, ca 3.5 cm long and 1.7 cm wide, white to pale yellow with orange-red streaks, contracted and adnate at base to base of column; column slender, with a tripartite, minutely denticulate hood at apex covering the anther. Fruits not seen. Shattuck 555. Not seen on BCI in recent years. Apparently flowering more than once during the rainy season (September to December). Moderately well-developed fruits have been seen in early December on a flowering plant; full-sized fruits have been seen in January. Known only from Panama, from tropical moist forest in central Canal Zone and Panama.