It has a slim flexible stem which does not support the plant, instead it climbs to the forest canopy with the assistance of long tendrils armed with stout recurved hooks.

This is a clustering, climbing palm with stems up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in diameter and 45 m (148 ft) in length, making it the largest of the eight Calamus species found in Australia.

Flagella armed with stout recurved barbs are produced from the leaf sheath and act as grappling hooks providing support for the flexible stem.

[4][5][6][8] The yellow lawyer cane is the host plant for the white-fringed swift Sabera fuliginosa, a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae, and the fruits are eaten by birds.

Indigenous communities of north Queensland ate the fruits and the young shoots, while the cane from the stem was used for many purposes including axe handles, fish and animal traps, shelters and baskets.