Plants small, shrubby. Stems solitary or caespitose, compact, erect or procumbent. Leaves: sheath armed with sharp, stout, needlelike fibers; petiole unarmed; abaxial hastula absent; adaxial hastula a crescent-shaped ridge or flange; blade palmate or weakly costapalmate; plication induplicate (v-shaped), but segments separating between folds to form plications appearing reduplicate (Ù-shaped); segments lanceolate, basally connate; cross veins obscure to conspicuous. Inflorescences axillary, within crown of leaves, closely appressed to trunk, with 1 or 2 orders of branching; prophyll tubular, expanded distally, membranaceous; peduncular bracts 2, expanded distally. Flowers unisexual or bisexual, borne singly along rachillae or densely in clusters of 2 or 3, short pedicellate; sepals 3, distinct to slightly connate at base; petals 3, distinct, tomentose,, orbiculate to acute, fleshy; stamens 6; filaments linear; anthers dorsifixed; staminodes in pistillate flowers 6, with poorly developed anthers; pistils 3, distinct; pistillode in staminate flowers minute. Fruits drupes, ovoid, ellipsoid, or globose; exocarp brown, hirsute; mesocarp mealy; endocarp bony. Seeds ellipsoid, with prominent raphe; endosperm homogeneous; embryo lateral; eophyll undivided, lanceolate. xn = 18.
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