Solitary stout palm. Trunk columnar, 12-16 m high, 90-140 cm in diameter, covered with large closely-placed leaf scars. Leaves many, large, widely spreading 5-6 m long, forming a dense crown; leaflets numerous, green, shining, more or less regularly arranged or paired along rachis in one plane. Inflorescence elongate. Male flowers small, c. 4 mm long, petals not acuminate; female flowers with calyx almost as long as the petals. Fruit oblong-ellipsoid, yellow to reddish with coarse, fibrous, tasteless, dry flesh, c. 2 cm long, 1.2 cm in diameter.