Skov 64836 – Ecuador

Solitary. Stem 4.5 m, 4-5 cm diam.; internodes 8 cm at base, 2 cm above, unarmed; base supported by a cone of adventitious roots, 15 cm high, each root 2 cm diam., brown, with white prickly lenticels. Leaves 10, erect, arching, inserted on upper 20 cm of the ste; sheath 32-37 cm, open to base, densely armed abaxially with yellow flat spines to 2 cm; rachis 90-120 cm, armed abaxially with spines like those on petiole; pinnae 13-14 per side, inserted in pairs spaced by 15-20 cm, indifferent planes, the lower of each pair shorter and more erect than the upper, basal pinnae 12-16 x 4-8 cm, middle pinnae 23 x 20 cm (lower of a pair), 29 x 18 cm (upper of a pair), apical pinnae 15-20 x 17-30 cm. Inflorescence bud interfoliar, erect; prophyll 55 x 3 cm, cream at base, green above, the apical 13 cm brown, forming a fibrous reticulum, abaxial side with yellow spines ca. 0.5 cm long; peduncular bract 90 cm, 1 cm diam., green, sparsely armed. Inflorescence just before staminte anthesis interfoliar; prophyll 56 x 3.5 cm; peduncular bract 160 cm, tubular for 60 cm, upper part hanging down, brown, chartaceous, sparsely armed; peduncle 87 cm, 0.7 cm diam., light green to violet, densely armed with yellow apines to 1.5 cm; rachis 37, lower 50 cm long, flattened, 0.7 cm wide at base, upper rachillae 18 cm long. Infructescence with developing fruits 3, interfoliar, pendent; peduncle 145 cm, 1 cm wide; rachis 32-34 cm; rachillae 15-18, lower 33 x 0.4 cm, upper 3-22 cm; immature fruits black with a green ring below apex, rostrate, 0.9 x 0.7 cm.