Trunk often subterranean, cylindric or flask-shaped, sometimes moniliform, to 50 × 15 cm, base abruptly swollen to 25 cm in diam., apex almost glabrous; bark gray, nearly smooth toward base of trunk. Leaves 25-45, 1-pinnate, 50-130 × 20-40 cm; petiole suborbicular in cross section, 10-40 cm, with 9-16 spines along each side throughout length, base densely brown tomentose; leaf blade ovate-oblong in outline, flat; leaflets in 40-70 pairs, longitudinally inserted 0.8-1.8 cm apart at 55-65° to rachis, straight, 10-17(-23) cm × 4-7(-9) mm, leathery, glabrous, midvein prominent on both surfaces, especially adaxially, base decurrent, margin flat or slightly recurved, apex attenuate, pungent. Cataphylls triangular-lanceolate, 4-7 × 1-1.3 cm, densely yellow-brown tomentose, apex long attenuate, subsoft at tip. Pollen cones conical-cylindric, 15-25 × 4-6 cm; microsporophylls cuneate or broadly cuneate, 1.5-2 × 0.6-1 cm; apical sterile part subrhombic, thickened, densely yellow or brown tomentose, margin subentire, with short, upcurved mucro. Megasporophylls 40-60, tightly grouped, 8-13 cm, densely yellowish brown silky tomentose; stalk 3-8 cm; sterile blade broadly ovate or flabellate, 5-6 × 4-8 cm, margin pectinate, with 17-35 lobes 2-3.8 cm, terminal lobe broadly lanceolate, 1.5-3.5 cm, margin irregularly serrulate or biserrulate; ovules 1 or 2 on each side of distal part of stalk, glabrous. Seeds 2-4, green to yellowish brown, broadly obovoid or subglobose, ca. 2 × 1.8 cm; sarcotesta not spongy or fibrous. Pollination Apr-May, seed maturity Oct-Nov.
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