Plectocomia himalayana Griff.

Robust clustering rattan. Stem climbing to 10 m or more, without sheaths 5–40 mm diam., with sheaths 10–100 mmm diam., internodes up to c. 30 cm long. Leaves cirrate; leaf sheath mid green, armed with abundant combs of yellow slender spines not exceeding 15 mm long, the spines in groups of 20 or more, caducous pale indumentum present on sheath and spines; ocrea absent; knee absent, flagellum absent; petiole very short or absent in distal leaves, to 3 cm long, c. 2 cm wide, deeply channelled; rachis to 3 m long; cirrus to c. 1 m long; leaflets over 40 on each side of the rachis, irregularly arranged in groups and fanned within the groups, the largest 45–50 x 3.5–4 cm, long acuminate in a fine thread to 7 cm long, the lower surface the same colour as the upper surface, never having grey indumentum. Inflorescences produced simultaneously in the axils of the uppermost many leaves, the male and female superficially similar, to 2 m long and bearing pendulous first order branches to 80 cm long, bearing overlapping first order branches bearing conspicuous pale brown bracts, tubular at first, soon splitting along their length, each subtending a short rachilla, bracts in male inflorescences 4–5.5 cm long, male rachillae 2–2.8 cm long, bracts in female inflorescence 4.–5.5 cm long, female rachillae 1.2–2.5 cm long, all bracts becoming chestnut brown with age and persisting to fruiting. Fruit at maturity rounded, to 15 mm diam., with a short beak to 2 x 2 mm and covered in c. 26 vertical rows of dull brown scales with smooth margins and non-spiny tips. Seed rounded, basally somewhat flattened, c. 0.9 cm diam.; endosperm homogeneous.