Trunk to 20 m tall, to 26 cm diam. Leaves 7–12, to 3.15 m long, held flat or becoming moderately obliquely orientated; leaf sheath lime green. Pinnae 43–68 each side of rachis, to 93 cm long, dark green adaxially, silver-grey abaxially; ramenta lacking. Inflorescence to 60 cm long, branched to 3 orders; axes green; rachillae to 30 cm long, erect to semipendulous, strongly flexuose throughout. Flowers closely spaced on rachilla; floral bracts raised with sharp margins; perianth white. Staminate flower to 7 mm long; stamens 13–19; filaments curved; pistillode about equal in length to petals. Pistillate flower to 5 mm high. Fruit ovoid, 15–25 mm long, 10–15 mm wide; stigmatic remains apical; mesocarp fibres 2-layered, with outer layer thin, terete, occasionally branched, and inner layer to 3 mm wide, flat, branched, remaining compact in the dried state. Seed globose, 9 mm diam.; raphe fibres weakly adherent.
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