This is a solitary palm with a sturdy upright trunk that can remain mostly hidden in younger plants before emerging cleanly with age. It has deeply pinnate leaves in a full, arching crown that gives it a lush, tropical presence. The leaflets are long, flexible, and arranged in a slightly irregular pattern. Its inflorescences are stout, woody, and held among the leaves, producing clusters of distinctive bristly fruits. The fruit of this species contain the famous “vegetable ivory” seeds—rock-hard, creamy-white endosperm used for carvings and buttons—making this species one of the world’s most economically significant palms.  The species name honors the renowned German botanist Berthold Carl Seemann, whose 19th-century explorations across Central and South America greatly expanded botanical knowledge of the region.