Stems unarmed, ± 0.5 mm. in diameter, often plumose above because of the closely packed leaves.. Leaves 9.9-23.6 mm. long, flat, acute, linear-lanceolate, (0.24-)0.6-1 mm. wide including teeth on both sides (0.16-)0.32-0.43 mm. wide excluding teeth; margin on each side serrulate with 6-16 conspicuous spiny teeth on small triangular excrescences; teeth (0.04-)0.12-0.31 mm. long, the ratio of teeth-length to leaf-width being (0.2-)0.3-0.8; midrib without spiny teeth; septa absent or clearly visible; fibres absent or present on margin and/or near midrib; sheath 1.13-2.1 (including auricle and spine-cells) × 1.29-1.8 mm. (ratio = 0.9-1.4), truncate to auriculate, the auricle 0.1-0.5 mm. long (including spine-cells) and 0.2-0.6 mm. wide (ratio = 0.6-1.5), serrulate or lacerate with 1-7 spine-cells on each side; apex of the auricle rather obtuse.. Male and female flowers generally on different branches, solitary or several together, each at the very base of a (sometimes very short) axillary shoot.. Male flower 1.2-1.5(-2) mm. (including spathe-neck) × 0.3-0.65 mm., the neck of the spathe ± 0.2-0.3 mm., tapering at the top, bearing brownish spine-cells on the apex; inner envelope protruding ± 0.1 mm. above the anther; anther 0.73-0.81 × 0.27-0.32 mm., unisporangiate.. Female flower enclosed in a spathe, 1.16-1.53(-2) mm. (including spathe-neck) × 0.3-0.65 mm., the neck of the spathe about halfway along the style, with or without brownish spine-cells on the apex; ovary 0.65-0.88 × 0.2-0.37 mm.; style and stigma 0.64-1.1 mm.; stigma 2-lobed.. Fruit with persistent membranous pericarp and remnants of style and spathe.. Seed elliptic-oblong to ovate, (1.13-)1.3-1.45(-1.61) × (0.48-)0.64 mm. (ratio = 2-3.2); areoles 0.1-0.16 mm. long irregularly arranged in longitudinal rows of (9-)11-13(-15); cell-walls raised.
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