Plectocomia pierreana Becc.

Moderately robust, clustering rattan. Stems climbing to 35 m long, without sheaths 0.5–4 cm diam., with sheaths 1.–9 cm diam., internodes up to c. 30 cm long, the stem generally very slender near the ground, much more robust distally, particularly just before flowering. Leaves cirrate; sheaths mid green, armed with scattered, golden, needle-like spines, 1–2 cm long, sometimes arranged in horizontal combs of no more than 5 spines, and abundant caducous dark indumentum, spines shorter and sparser on distal sheaths; ocrea absent; knee absent; flagellum absent; petiole in distal leaves very short or absent, not exceeding c. 3 cm long, up to 2.5 cm wide; rachis to 3 m long; cirrus to 1 m long; leaflets up to 40 on each side of the rachis, irregularly arranged in groups and fanned within the groups, the largest 40–55 x 3.5–4 cm, adaxially shiny dark green, abaxially with a fugacious layer of white indumentum, usually conspicuous on newly emerged leaves, sometimes long persistent, the leaflets generally lacking bristles. Inflorescences male and female superficially similar, produced simultaneously from the topmost many nodes (up to 15 or more) the basalmost to 1.5 m long, decreasing in length towards the stem tip, the longest with up to 15 pendulous first order branches; first order branches bearing conspicuous pale yellowish green, reddish brown tipped bracts, tubular at first, soon splitting along their length, each subtending a short rachilla, bracts in male inflorescences 1.9–4 cm long, male rachillae 0.8–1.9 cm long, bracts in female inflorescence 2.5–4 cm long, female rachillae 1.2–2 cm long, all bracts becoming chestnut brown with age and persisting to fruiting. Fruit at maturity rounded, to 0.20 cm diam., with a short beak to 0.2 x 0.2 cm and covered in c. 35 vertical rows of dull brown scales with smooth margins and non-spiny tips. Seed rounded, basally somewhat flattened, c. 1.2 cm diam.; endosperm homogeneous.