Usually stout to very stout, resembling a small Pandanus, forming dense clumps. Stems central, triquetrous, smooth or somewhat scabrous at the top, much shorter than the leaves, 30-120 cm by 4-8 mm (up to c. 10 mm at the incrassate top), with 1-2 well developed leaves about the middle, very rarely cauline leaves absent. Leaves coriaceous, broadly linear, with 3 prominent nerves, obscurely septate-nodulose, with serrulate-scabrous margins and the keel serrulate especially towards the apex, narrowed towards the conduplicate base (but not petioled), rather abruptly long-caudate, bright green or more or less glaucous, 1-3(-4½) m by(2-)4-6 cm; lower sheaths bladeless, stramineous; cauline leaves with a 5-10 cm long sheath somewhat widened above. Inflorescence capitate, very dense, ovoid or globose, (3-)5-7½(-9) cm in diam., with many to numerous spikelets. Bracts several, the lower 1-3 very long (up to 1½ m), finally deflexed, similar to the leaves, the upper ones much shorter, ovate, caudate. Spikelets oblong, 1½-3(-4) cm by c. 1 cm. Glumes chartaceous, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, 3-nerved, 9-12 by c. 3 mm, the lower ones empty, several-nerved. Flowers linear, longer than the glumes, 10-15 mm. Anthers up to 4 mm long. Style 3-fid. Nut obovoid or pyriform, 5-7 by 3-5 mm, at the base narrowed into a slender 2-4 mm long stipe, greyish or purplish brown, the slender 2-3 mm long beak finally caducous.
In dense swampy rain-forests, sago swamps, on shady banks of streams, usually 0-1000 m, but in the Arfak Mts (Kofo Anggi) at 2000 m.
Home