Pritchardia napaliensis, a member of the Arecaceae (palm) family, is 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) tall with a slender trunk 18 to 20 cm (7 to 8 in) in diameter, with 20 leaves and an open crown. The green leaf blades are 85 cm (33.5 in) long and are almost flat (irrespective of the longitudinal folds). The lower leaf surface is covered with elliptic, pale, thin, flexible, and somewhat translucent scales with fringed margins. Upon maturity, the leaves are almost smooth and the leaf segments are lax, flexible, and droop with increasing age. The flowers are arranged in branched clusters 14 cm (5.5 in) long which are equal or shorter in length than the leaf stalks. Each flower is associated with a small, bristly bract. Bracts associated with the flowers or flower stalks are sparsely and inconspicuously coated with scales which are usually lost at maturity. The black fruits are 1.7 to 2.3 cm (0.7 to 0.9 in) long, 1.4 to 1.8 cm (0.6 to 0.7 in) in diameter, and inversely egg-shaped.