Because of an incomplete description of the original material which gives no reference to the color of the leaves we believe that the type species, which came from the mountains in Guatemala, had red leaves. This is based on the premise that we have other material collected in the state of Chiapas, Mexico which also has red leaves.
This new variety viridifolia was collected by the author in 1936 between Coatapec and Jalapa. The plants are much smaller than the red leaf form, and as I have had them growing side by side for several years, the marked difference is quite obvious. Also, the construction of the inflorescence differs in that the branches of the typical form emerge from the scape in a dense form, while the branches from the new variety viridifolia emerge from one half to one inch apart on the scape. —SeeSmith & Downs 1977