Tree, 4-15 m. tall; trunk unarmed or with a few blunt knobs, with smooth, dark grey bark; stilt-roots often absent in younger trees, to 2 m. high and 4 cm. in diameter, with sharp spines to 3 mm. long, these in longitudinal rows.. Leaves linear, 90-150(-300) cm. long, 4.7-6.6 cm. wide, clasping the stem at the base, attenuate at the apex, with (greenish-) white marginal teeth; teeth near the base l-3(-4) mm. long, 2-13 mm. apart, diminishing in size towards the leaf-apex; midrib-teeth 1-3 mm. long, pointing towards the leaf-apex, usually fewer than the marginal teeth; ventral pleats unarmed.. Male inflorescences 20-64 cm. long, with 9-12 spadices, the individual spadices ellipsoid, to 10 cm. long and 2.5 cm. wide; lowermost bracts green, resembling the leaves, spiny on the margins but not on the midrib, up to 50 cm. long and 5 cm. wide, diminishing in size to the uppermost bracts which are cream in colour and maybe as small as 5 cm. long and 2 cm. wide, with minute marginal spines; stamens racemose, the individual racemes ± 1 cm. long, the anthers apiculate and 2-4.5 mm. long; filaments 0.3-1.8 mm. long.. Female inflorescences unknown.. Fruit-peduncle 15-40 cm. long and up to 2.5 cm. in diameter, heads solitary, with bracts 40-65 cm. long; syncarps almost round, 8-18 cm. long and 5-16 cm. across, with up to 38 phalanges; phalanges 5-11 (-14)-locular, yellow-brown to orange when ripe, with shoulders weakly developed or none; grooves between carpels (2-)5-10 mm. deep.. Fig. 1/1 and 2/1-5, p. 5.
Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.
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