Tree, 7-15 m. high with a diameter of 10-50 cm.; bark grey or brown, with conical spines; stilt-roots numerous, 50-100 cm. high, 5-7 cm. across, with sharp spines.. Leaves in twisted dichotomous arrangements, 135-270 cm. long, 4-8 cm. wide and clasping at base, with marginal spines 3.2-5 mm. long, 6-16(-30) mm. apart; spines on midrib 2-35 mm. long, fewer or as numerous as the marginal ones, pointed towards the base in the basal half of the leaf, and towards the apex in the apical half of the leaf.. Male inflorescences 14-26 cm. long, with 4-6 spathes, each of these 7-11 cm. long and 14-20 mm. across; lower bract 10.5 × 3.15 cm., uppermost bract 4.5 × 0.6 cm., spiny on midrib and margins; stamens subumbellate, with 6-8 stamens per umbel, on a common stalk (3-)5-8 mm. long; filaments (0.6-) 1.5-5.3 mm. long; anthers apiculate, 1.8-2.8 × 0.7-0.8 mm., with an equal to slightly unequal base.. Female inflorescences unknown.. Syncarps on a 25-35 cm. long peduncle with scars of 8 bracts, 19(30-38 fide I.T.U.) cm. long, 8-9 (15-20 fide I.T.U.) cm, across, somewhat trigonous, with over 1000 phalanges; bract to 65 × 3.4 cm., spiny on midrib and margins; phalanges l(-2)-locular, with a pileus 4-6 mm. high and 7-10 mm. across, and a lower phalange 25-40 mm. high.. Fig. 1/3, p. 3 and 2/6, p. 5.
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