Superficially, this palm closely resembles the widely cultivated Bungalow Palm but can be immediately distinguished by the longer crownshaft, the intricately branched inflorescence and the leathery leaflets which have two blunt lobes at the apex.

It is a very tall, slender species reaching upwards of 15 meter and has a graceful crown of dark green pinnate fronds which often twist along the rachis. The small, round fruit are scarlet when ripe. The species is endemic to the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean and is widely grown in tropical countries.

Being very cold-sensitive it is best suited to the hot, humid lowlands and once established is fast growing.