Stem light grey, slightly bottle-shaped, 6-15 m tall, 20-25 cm diam. Leaves greenish, adaxially with greyish white, mostly brownish lacerate-peltate scales, abaxially mostly with fringed scales. Young leaves densely covered with scales. Lamina glossy light green above, paler flat green with faint whitish sheen below. Inflorescence 75-112 cm long, with 4 orders of branching. Rachis light green, scales not conspicuous, but small scattered clusters of flat brown scales occur around bases of buds. Staminate buds 11 mm long at two-thirds maturity, sepals 56 x 3-4 mm; petals cream-green. Fruit 49-57 x 27-37 mm, excluding calyx but including remnant stigma; mesocarp, 2-5-3.0 mm thick. Seed terete, embryo 5 mm long at maturity.