| Field notes | Cespitose with 4 - 5 well developed stems and several new shoots at the base. Stem supported by 1 m high, dense cone of 8 mm thick aereal roots, along the stem the aereal roots give way to first branched and then simple horizontal spines, the longest ones up to 8 cm long, but they are usually shorter. Stem ca. 15 m tall, 14 cm diam. at the base, 9 cm diam. at the top; internodes ca. 8 cm long at the top, not distinguishable at the base. The stems are first erect, then bend away from the clump and finally grow erect in the upper part, basal parts brown, higher up grey, spines all the way to the top. Leaves 10, spreading. Sheath very distinct from petiole, 123 cm long, closed for the basal ca. 10 cm in old leaves, closed almost to the top in young leaves, sheath ends in a very distinct (closed) ligule, sheath brown at the base, middle part green with dense waxy cover, towards the top with reddish scales, rounded below, deeply channelled above. Petiole 30 cm long, terete, green, more or less smooth. Costa ca. 15 cm long. Blade circular in outline, entire for 30 cm around the costa, then split into 100 equal, strongly reduplicate, l-veined linear, apically acute segments, each segment 117 cm long (from apex to costa) glossy green above, with prominent cross veins, below white waxy with scattered reddish scales, margins with scattered 3 mm long, soft spines. Infructescences inter- and infrafoliar, pendulous; peduncle 45 cm long, flattened covered with 10 overlapping tubular bracts; rachis 90 cm long, also covered with overlapping tubular bracts each of which subtends a rachilla. Rachillae 16, distichous and alternate, 40 cm long, covered with overlapping tubular bracts, each bract subtend alternate distichous 1 cm long sidebranches, each sidebranch covered with overlapping tubular bracts each of which subtends a fruit or a fruitscar. Fruits ovoid, 3 x 2 cm, light green, covered with overlapping scales. Siona: Kantine-é. Uses: Mesocarp edible |
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