Terrestrial ca. 1.75m tall; stems to 90 cm long, 3-5 cm diam.; cataphylls curled into a tubular cylinder, drying tan, weathering into long, sub-persistent fibers; petioles 43-120 cm long, 7-16 mm diam., terete; blades ovate, moderately thin, lobed at base, 40-75 cm long, 25-56 cm wide. Inflorescence erect to spreading; peduncle 29-76 cm long, 4÷9 mm diam., terete; spathe moderately thick, green, oblong-lanceolate, 10.5-18 cm long, 2-4 cm wide; stipe 6-60 cm long; spadix green becoming tinged with violet purple, turning yellowish brown, 10-30 cm long, 7-10 mm diam. at base; berries orange, broadly ovoid, rounded at apex; seeds 2. See Croat (1983: 390) for a more complete description.

Anthurium standleyi is known for certain only from Costa Rica in the Cordillera de Talamanca. It was first collected by Paul Standley at two sites, La Verbena and San Sebastian south of San José in what is probably premontane wet forest. It has been collected more recently in the region northeast of San Isidro del General. The species ranges from 900 to 1,900 m and may be restricted to premontane wet forest.

The species is a member of section Pachyneurium. A cultivated collection from the University of Hawaii was reportedly based on a Dressier collection from Achiote, a region of tropical moist forest in the Isthmus of Panama. The species has never been collected in Panama to our knowledge and the collection cultivated in Hawaii is possibly mislabelled.