 Most "Calyptrocalyx" species are clustering while a few grow from solitary trunks, all being conspicuously ringed by leaf scars.Trunk diameters range from 1 cm in "C. arfakiensis" to 25 cm in "C. spicatus", spanning heights of 1 to 12 m. The leaves may be pinnate, bifid, or undivided on adaxially channeled, abaxially rounded petioles.While the foliage of these palms matures to various shades of green it is often brightly colored when emergent.