 The leaves are 1.8-2.5 m long, and pinnate, with 100-150 leaflets and several basal spines; they are glossy dark green, but covered in orange pubescence at first which soon wears off.The leaflets are 35–52 cm long and 13–19 mm wide, and the basal spines .The name derives from the Latin aculeatus, which translates as "prickly", indeed has short prominent spikes along the petiole (the leaf stalk).