This is a solitary palm with a slender, smooth trunk. It bears a green to slightly waxy crownshaft, which contrasts nicely with its darker leaf bases. The crown holds bright green leaves with narrow, gracefully arching fishtail-shaped leaflets that are slightly paler on the undersides. Its inflorescences emerge beneath the crownshaft, branched to one order, and produce small cream-colored flowers. The fruit is ovoid, turning from green to red at maturity. It develops conspicuous stilt roots at the base of the trunk, forming a raised, spreading support structure that is one of the species’ more distinctive features.  An interesting historical note: the species name litigiosus references the dispute among botanists over its proper generic placement.  The point of contention was its inflorescence branching and fruit morphology.  Eventually, consensus shifted toward recognizing Drymophloeus as a valid, distinct genus (separate from Pinanga and Areca), and the species was reclassified as Drymophloeus litigiosus. The epithet litigiosus — meaning “disputed” or “litigious” — reflects this back-and-forth debate among taxonomists.