This is a solitary understory palm with a thin, cane-like trunk that eventually reaches several meters tall, topped by a compact crown of broad, circular, deeply pleated fan leaves. The trunk is usually slender and ringed, often barely thicker than a wrist on younger plants but gaining presence with age. The crown consists of beautifully segmented fans—each leaf forming a rounded disc made of evenly spaced wedge-shaped segments that create a clean, symmetrical look. Inflorescences emerge beneath the leaves as lightly branched sprays carrying clusters of small creamy-white flowers. The fruits ripen from green to bright red, forming colorful pendulous clusters that make this species especially striking in the garden.  Because this variety is native to New Guinea’s humid lowland forests and not widely cultivated, it remains a rare and desirable Licuala for collectors, with the species name honoring botanist Carl Lauterbach’s work in the region.