Stems clustered, climbing, to 5 m, to 1 cm in diam. Leaf sheaths greenish brown with brown hairs, with densely arranged, brown, needlelike spines to 1(-2 at sheath apex) cm; ocreas short and densely bristly; knees present; flagella to 1 m; rachis to 0.5 m with 4 or 5(-12) linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate pinnae per side; middle pinnae 16-30 cm, 1.5-4 cm wide at mid-point, not bristly; cirri absent. Inflorescences to 0.7 m, flagellate; inflorescence bracts tubular. Fruits whitish, subglobose, to 1.5 × 1 cm.