Tall climbing palm, spines on slender stems, , stem leaves & margins & leaves, loses thorns on older stems, stems to 20m+. Leaf sheath with black spines to 30mm long, leaves to 1750mm with pungent hairs, leaflets 35 per side, central leaflet to 375mm x 28mm with terminal tendril armed with recurved spines, to 2m long. Inflorescences to 2m long with bracts to 700mm long, green to cream flowers, spathes 300mm long with bracts & bracteoles, yellow male flowerswith calyx to 4mm long, corolla lobes to 7mm x 2mm. Female flowers enclosed in bracteole, calyx lobes to 3mm long, corolla lobes to 5mm x 2mm,spadix to 80mm long with 30-40 flowers. Brown beaked fruit 16mm x 10mm with beak to 2mm.