[2] Murray Ross Henderson, the Scottish botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its twisted (tortilis in Latin) petals.

It leathery, hairless, oblong to oval leaves are 20-39 by 6.5-11.5 centimeters with wedge-shaped bases and abruptly tapering tips.

Its leathery to membranous, triangular to oval sepals are 1.9-3.1 by 1.5-2.6 centimeters with fused bases and short blunt-pointed tips.

The chartreuse, leathery, lance-shaped, twisted outer petals are 3.5-10 by 1-3.2 centimeters with tips that taper to a blunt point.

Its flowers have 50-100 carpels with oblong, flattened ovaries that are 2-2.2 millimeters long and covered in dense, matted, silky, golden hairs.

[7] It has been observed growing in lowland forests with soil rich in calcium carbonate at elevations of 60 to 300 meters.