Pritchardia schattaueri, of the Arecaceae (palm) family, is a large palm 30 to 40 m (100 to 130 ft) tall with a gray, longitudinally grooved trunk 30 cm (12 in) in diameter. Leaves form a spherical crown and are sometimes persistent after death. Leaves are fan-shaped, glossy green with small brown scales on the lower surface, up to 3.6 m (11.8 ft) long and 1.7 m (5.6 ft) wide. Flowers are on two- to four-branched inflorescences with a main stalk 1.2 to 1.8 m (3.9 to 5.7 ft) long and individual branches 1 to 1.4 m (3.2 to 4.6 ft) long. The five bracts are lance-shaped, the lowest one 60 cm (2 ft) long, and the uppermost one 20 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in) long. The calyx is green, shading to yellow green at the tip, three-toothed, 6 mm (0.2 in) long, and 4 mm (0.1 in) wide. Fruits are round or pear-shaped, black with brown spots when mature, 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2 in) long, and 3 to 4 cm (1.2 to 1.6 in) wide.