This is a clustering palm with multiple slender, cane-like trunks that emerge closely together and are covered with persistent brown leaf sheaths and dense fibers.  It does not form a crownshaft, and the transition from trunk to foliage is marked by the loose, shaggy bases of the leaf stems.  Its open crown consists of broad, arching, pinnate leaves with unusually wide, patula (spreading) leaflets that give the palm a full, tropical look; the petioles are short and lightly hairy.  The inflorescences are interfoliar, branched, and bear both male and female flowers on the same plant, with yellowish to cream-colored blooms.  Fruits are small, elliptical, and ripen from green to deep red or maroon, often nestled tightly among the stems.