Dioecious or occasionally monoecious. Stems to 20 (–30) mm diam.; internodes short. Leaves imbricate; auricles to 25 cm long, entire or sometimes toothed, purplish and somewhat membranous, persistent; blade linear, strap-like, c. (70–) 100–130 (–160) cm long, c. 40–80 (–150) mm wide, acute to shortly acuminate, thickly coriaceous; margins with prickles along whole length; midrib prickly towards apex. Inflorescences with outer bracts leafy, reddish at base; inner bracts deltoid, to 40 cm long, pinkish near base, reddish orange above, green at apex; innermost bracts very thick and fleshy, broadly deltoid, to 25 cm long, pinkish at base, creamy white above. Male spikes with peduncles c. 5.5 cm long; fertile portion cylindric to narrowly obovoid, to c. 12 cm long; filaments c. 4.5 mm long; anthers 0.6–0.7 mm long. Female spikes 2–4; fruiting heads clavate to cylindric, 8–13 (–20) cm long, 1.5–3.5 (–6) cm diam.; berry c. 10 mm diam., orange to red; stigmas (1–) 2 (–3).
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