Small to fairly large tree, unbranched or sparingly branched, up to 24 m, glabrous, at least when mature. Large leaves forming terminal crowns; petiole up to 1 m, stout (1-2 cm ø), broadly channelled above, with a sheathing, heavily lenticellate base prolonged as a strong stipular ligule up to 7 cm long, and with lacerate crests encircling the lower part of the petiole; blade up to 1.15 m ø, with 5-7 strong ribs radiating from the top of the petiole, deeply lobed almost to the base of these ribs, lobes in turn deeply lobed and incised, the central lobes especially being strongly pinnatisect or digitately tripartite, apices acute, margin undulate or indistinctly serrate. Inflorescence terminal (or overtopped by a lateral leafy branch), a large compound umbel, bowl-shaped with a slightly convex top, up to 60 cm ø; peduncle c. 10 cm, stout, with lanceolate bracts below and among the very numerous radiating primary rays; outer primary rays c. 20 cm long at anthesis (elongating in fruit), inner rather shorter, woody, bearing two caducous bracts at the apex, each ray ending in three branches; central branch c. 4 cm, bearing an umbel of c. 20 sterile bacciform flowers (c. 8 mm ø when dry) with rigid pedicels c. 1.5 cm long, and 5-6-celled; two lateral branches c. 9 cm long at anthesis, articulated about the middle, terminating in a button-like head of c. 20-30 sessile flowers and surrounded by ovate bracts which soon fall leaving a bowl-shaped involucre, c. 1.5 cm ø. Calyx rim obsolete. Petals c. 13, bud flat-topped, angled, minutely pubescent, apparently falling as a calyptra. Stamens 8-13. Ovary shortly turbinate, angled, glabrous, 10-14-celled; disk flat, with a central double row (or ellipse) of pustulate stigmas. Fruits spreading to form a ± spherical head obscuring the involucre, each c. 9 by 7 mm (when dry) with prominent persistent stigmas.
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