Plants to more than 50 cm tall. Leaf blades ovate, to 20 cm long, bent down, more or less arrow-head shaped; stalks slightly longer than blades. Inflorescence stalk to twice as long as the leaf stalks. Spathe cordate, puckered, mostly 7-12 cm long, extremely shiny, red. Spadix stalkless, slightly curved, about 6 cm long, creamy gold. Fruit a reddish berry.
Most plants grown under this name are cultivars that are the result of extensive breeding carried out since the mid 19th century overseas and involving several species.The name A. × cultorum Birdsey is occasionally used for such plants and there are several other hybrid names.
A. bakeri Hook. f. from Costa Rica and A. crystallinum Linden & André from Colombia are sometimes grown in particular for their ornamental leaves.
Colombia and Ecuador.
Source: (2005). Araceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.