This species is a solitary palm, that while massive, is somewhat more moderate in size than other species in this genus. Its thick trunk is often covered by old leaves which form a skirt. The crown is topped by large massive, circular, costapalmate leaves. The leaves are ascendant, with leaf tips slightly drooping, gray-green in color. The petioles are armed with short thorns and are green with black borders. Like all Corypha, it flowers only once, usually between 40 - 60 years old. A very large terminal inflorescence (10m) emerges that produces thousands of whitish flowers. The fruit is large (golf ball sized) and turns brown as it ripens. This species is monocarpic, meaning that after flowering, the palm will die.