This is a delightful, smallish solitary palm with a thin trunk on which are visible rings of leaf scars. It has at the base robust aerial roots which develop like stilts.   Its slim stem is topped by a clean green crownshaft.  It has a compact crown of leaves with broad, broad leaflets with tapered tips, creating a dense, lush canopy that thrives in filtered forest light. Below the leaves, the palm produces inflorescences with both male and female flowers, followed by small ovoid fruits that ripen to a bright red. The species name itself recalls “Nova Hibernia,” the old colonial name for New Ireland, tying the palm directly to its place of origin.