Stems clustered, climbing, to 15 m, to 3.5 cm in diam. Leaf sheaths gray or brown, with gray hairs, with scattered or densely arranged, yellowish brown, flattened spines to 2.5 cm; ocreas present, to 35 cm, soon tattering; knees absent; flagella present; rachis to 2.8 m with 45-70 linear-lanceolate pinnae per side, these in distant clusters and spreading in different planes; middle pinnae to 55 cm, to 1.5 cm wide at mid-point, spiny along margins; cirri absent. Inflorescences to 5 m, flagellate; inflorescence bracts tubular. Fruits brownish, ellipsoid to globose, to 2.7 × 2.5 cm, scale margins densely brown tomentose.