Plants tall, very robust. Rhizomes erect, brownish, thick, somewhat compressed-thickened, praemorse, not brittle. Scapes 1–2, round in cross section, 2.5–6 dm. Bracts held well above ground, spreading horizontally, subsessile; blade very sparsely mottled with dark greenish brown or rarely all green, mottling becoming obscure with age, broadly ovate, 10–22 × 8.7–15 cm, not glossy, often narrowed to falsely petiolate, very short, and narrowly cuneate base 10–20 mm, apex obtuse. Flower erect, odor spicy-musty, musty, or fetid; sepals conspicuous, spreading, often resting on bracts, maroon to green, linear to oblong-lanceolate, 35–47 × 8–10 mm, margins flat, entire, apex acute; petals long-lasting, erect, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary and partially obscuring stamens, dark purple to red-purple, not spirally twisted, veins obscure, linear, 5–10 × 0.7–1.4 cm, 8–10 times longer than wide, glossy, thick-textured, base linear, margins entire, at first flat but inrolling with age, apex variously acute-obtuse; stamens erect, 12–22 mm; filaments dark maroon, 2–4 mm, slender, widest at base; anthers erect, straight, purple, 12–18 mm, dehiscence introrse; connectives purple, slightly extended 1–1.5 mm beyond anther sacs; ovary dark, ovoid-ellipsoid, 6-angled toward apex, 7.5–12 mm; stigmas erect, divergent-recurved, distinct, purple, sessile, awl-shaped, thickly subulate, 5 mm, thick, fleshy. Fruits dark purple, fragrance unknown, subglobose, 6-angled, almost winged, fleshy. 2n = 10.
