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Description:
Herbaceous, with short aerial stem; leaves straplike, 70-130 em long, 3-5 em wide, subcoriaceous, acuminate with a trigonous short flagellate finely denticulate tip; base channelled, under-surface keeled; margins with sharp antrorse prickles; midrib beneath with sharp prickles near the base recurved, but toward apex with straight erect prickles. Staminate inflorescence of several spikes with leaflike bracts 25 cm long. Staminate phalanges numerous, compact, crowded, of 5-9 stamens umbellate at apex of the column; anthers linear 3 mm long, mucronate. Pistillate flowers not seen. Fruit-head solitary, oblong, cylindric, 9-15 cm long, 5-8 cm diam., composed of 120-260 drupes, these obconic, 3 cm long, the apex 5-angled, 1-celled, with persistent, ascending, flattened, rather stout, corneous, simple or bifid style 4-5 mm long.
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