This species has a slender trunk often covered with persistent leaf bases. The crown has fan shaped leaves typically about 1-1.5 meters in length. The leaflets are silvery-gray in color and have a waxy texture. It produces small white flowers arranged in clusters on a long inflorescence that emerges from among the leaves. The small, round fruit turns black when ripe. This is a rare and endangered species, with only a few known populations remaining in the wild. It is threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture, logging, and development, as well as by the spread of invasive species.