Small rather delicate plant with apparently us. simple crown. Lvs few, pinnate (2 pairs), up to ± 20 cm. long. Sheath c. 30 × 8 mm., ribbed and dilated in lower part, smooth and narrow in upper. Stipules 10-20 mm. long, acicular. Petioles 25-35 mm. long, smooth. Pinnae up to 45 × 3 mm., smooth, acicular, occ. bearing accessory pinnules. Stems of male plants slender, striate, up to 22c m. × 2 mm. (including infl.) Panicle open; bracts ± 8, distant, with thin sheaths c. 20-25 × 5-7 mm. Bract-stipules 5-6 mm. long, acicular. Laminae of lower bracts 3-5-foliolate, of upper l-foliolate. Umbels on long peduncles, bracteoles linear, exceeding rays. Plants with ♀ not seen.

Leaf rosettes up to 25 cm diameter in groups of up to 25 or more. Leaves coriaceous, yellow-green, up to 30 cm long, with 2 to 4 pairs of leaflets, usually not in one plane-, sheath c. 80 × 15-5 * mm, sheath joint usually obscure; stipules much shorter than to almost as long as the petiole, up to 70 × 1 mm; petiole up to 90 × 3 mm, ± convex above, margins rounded, pulvinus evident, up to 12 mm long (Fig. 4); lamina ± obtriangular in outline, lowermost leaflet up to 130 × 2.5—4 mm, apex acute with a spine c. 2 mm long, midrib obscure, marginrib c. 0.2 mm wide, veins not raised. Inflorescences of narrow type. Female inflorescence up to 600 mm long, with a stem c. 490 × 11 mm, yellow-orange; head c. 140 × 30 mm, more or less lanceolate in outline; compound umbels 20—25, usually arranged in 5— 7 whorls, the terminal umbel smaller than the lower laterals; lower bracts c. 80 mm long, with a sheath up to 35 × 9 mm, stipules, and 1 — 2 pairs of leaflets; upper bracts smaller and simple with stipules. Lower compound umbels up to 35 mm long with peduncles up to 20 × 2 mm, sometimes sessile, primary bracteoles usually wanting, simple umbels up to 6 with peduncles up to 12 × 0.7 mm, the innermost umbels often sessile; secondary bracteoles simple, up to 7 × 1 mm; up to 15 flowers per umbel with pedicels up to 2.5 × 0.2 mm. Sepals up to 0.3 mm long; petals up to 1 × 0.5 mm, not inflexed; staminodes up to 0.5 mm long. Mericarps pale brown, dull, up to 4.5 × 1.9 mm with a style up to 1.2 mm long; lateral ribs <0.5 mm wide. Male inflorescences up to 520 mm long, with a stem 270 × 12 mm, yellow-orange; head 260 × 80 mm, lanceolate in outline; compound umbels up to 38, tending to be in 5 —7 whorls, the terminal umbel smaller than the lower laterals; bracts similar to those of the female; lower compound umbels up to 80 mm long often with a whorl or 2 of simple umbels on the peduncle which is up to 70 × 2 mm; up to 13 simple umbels with peduncles up to 12 × 0.4 mm; up to 15 flowers per umbel with pedicels up to 2 × 0.1 mm. Sepals up to 0.3 mm long; petals up to 1.2 × 0.8 mm, not inflexed; stamens up to 2 mm long. * The width measurements are for base and apex respectively.

Smaller than var. montana with leaf rosettes up to c. 5 per plant, leaves up to 230 mm long and female inflorescences up to 400 mm high. Usually 2 pairs of leaflets.

The larger of the 2 varieties with leaf rosettes up to c. 25 per plant, leaves up to 300 mm long and female inflorescences up to 600 mm high. Usually 3, sometimes 4 pairs of leaflets.