Eremospatha (G. Mann & H. Wendl.) Hook. f.

Palms, clustering, high climbing, spiny; stems suckering sympodially. Leaves varying from flabellate juvenile form to regularly or irregularly pinnate adult form; adult and some juvenile stems terminate in a cirrus armed with reflexed thorns and massive paired reflexed acanthophylls; leaf sheath unarmed, usually glabrous; leaflets few-many. Inflorescence axillary, shorter than leaves; emerging from the ocrea, branching to 1 order; peduncle short; rachillae arranged sub-distichously. Flowers calyx tubular with 3 low triangular lobes; corolla twice the length of the calyx. Fruit some-what oblong covered in reflexed scales, tipped by the stigmatic remains; calyx and corolla persistent. Seeds 1-2 variously shaped.

Worldwide: 11 species W tropical Africa to Zambia.

Caprivi: 1 cultivated taxon.