| General Description | A multi-stemmed, evergreen, feather palm with spiny stems that can grow up to 20 metres tall. |
| Landscape | As a street or specimen tree.
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| Cultivation | Full sun and partial-shade. Well-drained and dry to medium soil. Prefers deep, sandy soil.
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| Pests | The trunk of the tree can be infested with Phytophthora water molds. The foliage is infested with fungi of the genera Pestalotiopsis, Mycosphaerella, and Colletotrichum. The fruit is attacked by fungi of the genera Monilinia and Ceratocystis. Other pests include mites and insects such as the sugar cane weevil |
| Notable Specimens | Royal Park Rajapruek, Mae Hia, Thailand. |
| Habitat | Found in disturbed natural ecosystems, principally along riverbeds and primary forest gaps. |
| Bark/Stem Description | A single slender stem or, more often, several stems to 20 cm thick, growing in tufts or clumps, armed with stiff, black spines in circular rows from the base to the summit. |
| Leaf Description | 8-10 leaves per crown, pinnate, 3 m long on a 1 m long petiole. |
| Flower Description | Spine-covered, woody bracts up to 1.5 m long cover inflorescences that are branched to one order. Yellowish-white male and female flowers are borne on the same inflorescence. |
| Fruit Description | A drupe with edible pulp surrounding the single seed, 4–6 cm long and 3–5 cm broad. The rind of the fruit can be red, yellow, or orange when the fruit is ripe, depending on the variety of the palm. |
| Texture Description | The stems are usually heavily armed with rings of very sharp, black spines about 5 cm long.
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