Plants up to 47 cm tall. Leaves 3–4, basal, rosulate, petiolate; petiole up to five cm long, narrow; blade up to 18 cm long and four cm wide, oblanceolate to oblong-oblanceolate, acute, somewhat oblique, margins densely hirsute, blade sparsely hirsute. Peduncle hirsute, 2-sheathed, terminated by a laxly 10-flowered raceme up to seven cm long. Flowers small, sepals green, lip yellow with dark green lines. Floral bracts up to 10 mm long, lanceolate, acute, densely hirsute. Pedicellate ovary up to 17 mm long, densely hirsute. Sepals sparsely hirsute or glabrous. Dorsal sepal up to 11 mm long and 3.2 mm wide, oblong-lanceolate, subacute, 5-veined. Petals unguiculate; claw free part 1.5–2 mm long; lamina up to eight mm long and 2.5 mm wide, cuneate to truncate at base, obliquely
ovate-lanceolate, obtuse, veins 3, branching, margins glabrous. Lateral sepals 12 mm long, 6.5 mm wide, free to the base, obliquely elliptic-ovate with lanceolate, acute apex, 6-veined. Lip four mm long, 1.3–2 mm wide, subsessile, oblong-obovate in outline, rounded at apex with small triangular projection at the apex, conduplicate, concave in the center, with single, branching vein, basal callus roof-like, truncate, with sides decurrent abruptly on lip margins. Gynostemium 2.5 mm long, massive, subsessile
(Fig. 33).
Ecology: Terrestrial in subparamo with vegetation dominated by Asteraceae and Ericaceae, in sandy and rocky soils. It was also found at lower elevations in the vegetation dominated by Anacardiaceae (Toxicodendron), Araliaceae (Oreopanax), Cunoniaceae (Weinmannia), Burseraceae (Bursera). Flowering in February, November and December.
Distribution: Colombia. Alt. 1,880–2,800 m.

Notes: While describing this species it was referred to P. similis, species widely distributed from Peru to Colombia. Ponthieva cesarensis and P. similis are easily separable by some floral characters—free lateral sepals found in P. cesarensis, versus lateral sepals connate almost to the apex in P. similis, cuneate base of petals in this species versus unguiculate base in its closest congener. Additionally, the lip callus is very prominent in P. similis and very obscure in P. cesarensis. It is also similar to both P. villosa and P. crinita. Ponthieva cesarensis can be easily distinguished from P. villosa by the form of lip which is oblong-obovate in outline (vs. triangular-ovate, with cuneate base), and unlobed, roof-like callus (vs. callus obscurely bilobed). Unlike P. crinita the lip of P. cesarensis is devoid of basal lip auricles. Both species have different form of lip either. Lip lamina is similar in form to P. curvilabia Garay, but unlike the latter species lip of P. cesarensis is subsessile, and lateral sepals have narrow, cuneate base