Trunk to 2.9(-5) m × 40(-50) cm; bark dark gray, scaly. Leaves 60-90, 1-pinnate, 1-2.5(-3) m × 35-50 cm; petiole subrhombic in cross section, 40-70 cm, with 25-50 spines along each side; leaf blade oblong, flat, pale brown villous when young; leaflets in 60-120 pairs, longitudinally inserted at ca. 50° to rachis, straight or slightly falcate, 15-35 × 0-1.3 cm, thick, leathery, glabrous, midvein strongly raised on both surfaces, base decurrent, margin flat or slightly recurved, apex acuminate. Cataphylls triangular, 4-5 × 1.5-2.2 cm, brown tomentose, apex with long, soft point. Pollen cones fusiform-cylindric, ca. 25 × 6 cm; microsporophylls cuneate, 2-3 × 0.8-1.2 cm. Megasporophylls more than 30, tightly grouped, 14-23 cm, densely yellowish brown tomentose; stalk 5-14 cm; sterile blade broadly ovate, obovate, or suborbicular, 6-11 × 5-9 cm, margin glabrescent and pectinate, with 17-27 subulate lobes 2-6 cm, terminal lobe subulate to flattened, a little longer than lateral lobes; ovules (2 or)3 or 4(or 5) on each side of stalk, orange, glabrous. Seeds pale yellow when fresh, pale brown when dry, subglobose or obovoid, slightly compressed, 2.5-3 × 2.3-2.8 cm, apex mucronate; sclerotesta smooth. Pollination Apr-Jun, seed maturity Oct-Nov.
Home