Calamus viridispinus Becc. in Hook.f.

Slender, clustering rattan of montane forest. Stems very short and the plant appearing acaulescent or climbing to 10 m tall, without sheaths 0.3–0.7 cm diam., with sheaths 0.6–1.5 cm diam., internodes very short to 15 cm long. Leaves cirrate in climbing forms, rarely ecirrate in stemless forms; sheaths dull green armed with horizontal or slightly erect irregular black yellow-based spines to 3 cm long, often much less, and abundant grey brown indumentum between the spines; knee present in climbing forms, armed as the sheath; ocrea inconspicuous; flagellum absent; petiole very short to 25 cm long in climbing forms, to 100 cm in acaulescent forms, sprarsely armed; rachis 30–60 cm in climbing forms, much longer in acaulescent forms; cirrus 25–75 cm long; leaflets 7–11 on each side of the rachis, arranged in groups of 2–5, generally dark green with paler bases, 8–40 x 0.5–2.5 cm, variously bristly. Inflorescences 0.4–1 m long, without terminal flagellum, the male and female superficially similar, the male branching to 3 orders, the female to 2 orders; with partial inflorescences varying greatly in length; male rachillae 2.5–6 x 0.15 cm; female rachillae 5–10 x 0.2 cm. Mature fruit oblong in outline or ovoid, to 0.8 x 0.6 cm, covered in up to 15 vertical rows of dull brown or yellowish scales with grey margins. Seed ovoid 0.6 x 0.4 cm; endosperm homogeneous. Seedling  leaf with 4–6 slender dark green widely spreading leaflets.