This is a clustering understory palm that produces multiple slender stems emerging from a common base, each densely armed with dark, needle-like spines typical of the genus. The stems are thin and upright, forming tight colonies that can spread slowly across the forest floor in humid tropical habitats. Its crown consists of gracefully arching pinnate leaves with narrow leaflets arranged along the rachis, creating a feathery appearance that blends well with the rainforest understory. The inflorescence emerges among the leaves and bears small pale flowers, later developing into clusters of rounded fruits that typically ripen to shades of yellow, orange, or red depending on maturity. As its name suggests, this species is native to the Chocó biogeographic region of western Colombia, one of the most botanically diverse and rain-soaked regions on Earth.