The stems are erect, up to 2.5 m tall and 20 cm diameter. The leaves are orange tomentose on emerging, soon becoming bright glossy green and glabrous, 80–170 cm long, pinnate, with 120-230 leaflets. The leaflets are 8.5–16 cm long and 5–8 mm wide, and lie flat or in a shallow 'v'-shape on either side of the leaf stem. The leaf petioles are 15–90 cm long, and armed with sharp spines at the base.
