Their trunks may be clustering or solitary from 5 to 15 cm wide, rarely exceeding 5 m in height. The stems are ringed by distinct leaf scars and frequently supported by stilt
roots. A distinct
crownshaft is present in all but
N. gajah, the
petioles are well developed and bear pinnate
leaves up to 2 m long. The leaflets are closely to widely spaced, regularly arranged, with one to several folds. They may be acute to acuminate, S-shaped to linear, the terminal pair usually obscurely lobed corresponding to the fold count; reaching 90 cm, they are usually deep green with a lighter underside. The rachis, petiole and crownshaft may be lightly to densely covered in hairy, brown tomentum. The
inflorescence is branched to one order, rarely to two, erect or pendulous, and emerges below the crownshaft in all but
N. gajah which emerges within the leaf crown. The fleshy male and female
flowers share the same branches, proximally arranged in triads and distally in pairs or singles. They produce an obpyriform to ovoid
fruit with a thin, fleshy mesocarp and a fibrous endocarp. Colored red, purple or black the fruit carries one
seed.
N. gajah is the aberration in the genus with its short internodes, marcescent leaves and interfoliar inflorescence, a combination of traits seen in a few species of the closely related
Pinanga and
Areca palms. == Distribution and habitat ==