Plant arborescent, suckering from the base. Trunk often decumbent, up to 2.5 m long, 350-400 mm diameter. Leaf bases persistent, crown slightly tomentose. Cataphylls velvety white, becoming sub-glabrous with age. Leaves numerous in a dense crown, apically recurved, rigid, glaucous, 1.1-2.0(1.4) m long, pinnae ascendant. Petiole apparent, slightly trigonous, basally bulbous, 230 mm long, slightly tomentose with a reddish brown collar at maturity. Rachis glabrous, round in cross-section, becoming yellow with age. Pinnae dentate or entire, veins not raised abaxially, margins slightly thickened, inflexed, directed toward the frond apex at an angle of circa 45° to the rachis, opposing leaflets indexed, set at an angle of circa 70° to each other, oriented incubously towards each other; proximal leaflets gradually reduced to a series of spines; median leaflets 180-250 mm long, 15-25 mm wide, outer lamina edge falcate, narrowly elliptic, gradually acuminate apically, pungent, basally subsessile to the rachis, apices somewhat turned toward the frond apex. Strobili seriate, dimorphous, glabrous; scale facets smooth, light green. Microsporangiate strobili 1-5 per trunk, subcorneal, 250-400 mm long, 50-90 mm in diameter, stalked on a peduncle 30-45 mm long. Median microsporophylls slightly descending, lamina oblong, tapering to the base, 11-24 mm wide, 20-30 mm long, 5-10 mm high, margins contracted to the pedicel, bulla with two trapezoidal lateral facets, without median facet but well defined hump-like sagittal ridge; terminal facet a drooping liplike structure, often slightly crenulate. Megasporangiate strobili 1-3 per trunk, ovoid, 360-400 mm long, 180-200 mm in diameter, with peduncle 360-400 mm long, 180-200 mm in diameter, with peduncle up to 150-310 mm long. Terminal sterile megasporophyll bullae drawn out into ascending lip-like structures. Median megasporophylls rhombic, 40-60 mm wide, 50-60 mm long, and 350-360 mm high. Bulla with two smooth or slightly verrucose trapezoidal lateral facets and a single smooth or slightly verrucose oblong median facet, terminal facet smooth, slightly concave, 3-5 mm deep, lateral ridges slightly drawn out, sagittal crest verrucose, drooping below the pedicel, seminal ridges smooth or slightly sagittate. Seed circa 200 per cone, sarcotesta orange-red, sclerotesta 35-38 mm long, 23-30 mm in diameter, ellipsoidal, round and smooth.
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