Trunk to 7 m. high and 50 cm. diameter. Leaves linear oblanceolate, 120–180 cm. long, 30–40 cm. wide, tapering gradually to the base, rhachis distinctly grooved between the leaflets. Indumentum of scale-leaves and petiole bases buff-brown, softly woolly. Median leaflets oblong lanceolate, 16–22 cm. long, 16–28 mm. wide, rigid, coriaceous, apex pungent, margin reflexed, edentate or with 1–3 teeth on the upper side near the base, ± distinctly striate below with 26–40 parallel nerves; lower leaflets lanceolate, spiny, passing to ovate-lanceolate, ovate and trifurcate with a few simple spines near the petiole base. Male cones subcylindrical, about 40 cm. long and 13 cm. diameter, with peduncle 20 cm. long and 2.5 cm. diameter, tapering to the base, scales deflexed. Median scales rhomboidal, 45–50 mm. long, bulla arching downwards, truncate triangular, 22–25 mm. wide, with a raised quadrangular median facet 4–8 mm. wide on the adaxial face and a pentagonal to subquadrangular terminal facet 9–13 mm. wide. Female cones, cylindrical, 40 cm. long, 19 cm. diameter. Bulla of median scales deflexed, compressed rhomboidal 5–6 cm. wide, 23–32 mm. deep, ± smooth distally, passing to blunt inclined irregular ridges and blunt flattened tubercles at the adaxial margin, with a sagittal crest of subconical to subulate tubercles. Lateral lobes triangular to quadrangular, 11–17 mm. long, with lateral facets irregularly ridged to warty, inner facets with flattened tubercles and processes and angles bluntly tuberculate toothed; pedicel of scales quadrangular with angles ± irregularly dentate and the abaxial angle ± replaced by a tuberculate facet.
