A massive clustering rattan, climbing to 50 m, dioecious. Stem without leaf-sheaths slightly angular, to 40 mm in diameter, with sheaths to 70 mm in diameter; nodes rather prominent, internodes to 30 cm. Leaves are massive; leaf-sheath pale to dark green, armed to various degrees with narrow to large flattened triangular black spines with yellowish bases, 4 cm x 1 cm, spines irregularly arranged and pointing somewhat upward; knee conspicuous; ocrea short, tattering; flagellum massive, dark green, to 10 m long or more, armed with short black yellow-based spines in partial whorls; petiole linear, to 1 m x 4 cm, usually less; leaflets regular, 20—30 on each side, the lowermost 50 cm x 5 cm, the largest one in the middle, 80 cm x 8 cm, decreasing to small at the tip, 4 cm x 0.5 cm, the rachis forming a subcirrus; upper surface of the leaflets conspicuously prickly near the tip and along the upper main veins. Inflorescence flagelliferous, to 8 m long, bearing 4—6 partial inflorescences to 80 cm, the female with robust reflexed rachillae, the male with more branched rachillae. Ripe fruit ellipsoid, 3 cm x 2 cm, short beaked, covered in 15 vertical rows of yellow brown to matt black scales, slightly lighter in colour at their bases. Seed ellipsoid, 2 cm x 0.8 cm, rather angular with grooves on flattened lateral face, covered in sour sarcotesta; endosperm homogenous; seedling-leaf bifid, shiny green.

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Used to cure stomachache and diarrhea (extract of raw cabbage); to alleviate pain during childbirth (extract of the roots); to cure yaws (ash of the stem)