Usually growing to , but occasionally over , these massive palms have solitary trunks with widely spaced leaf-scar rings and old leaf bases attached to the top. Leaves are
pinnately arranged, long, on
petioles. The lanceolate leaflets are dark green to and occur on the
rachis at varying angles, creating a plumose leaf. Unlike its monocarpic relatives, this species has a narrow
inflorescence which develops within the leaf-bases; the stem is erect until the
fruit matures and then sags to a pendent cluster. The single-seeded fruit are long, extremely hard, and are covered in brown, glossy scales. Of all species in the genus it is probably the most hardy to cold. It is found only in the
Federated States of Micronesia. It is threatened by
habitat destruction. ==References==