[1] The type locality is in Cát Tiên National Park in Đồng Nai Province, growing in seasonal tropical forest in flat areas near rivers at low elevations.

The plants have solitary stems (but sometimes with basal shoots), maximum: 2 m tall and 40 mm in diameter.

The rachis is 0.5 m long, with 2–4 partial spiky inflorescences, subtended by tubular bracts; rachillae 1 on each partial inflorescence, 160–220 mm long, 1.5–2 mm diameter, covered with scattered, very short, glandular hairs, with prominent floral stalks giving the rachillae a bumpy appearance.

L. cattienensis differs from the latter in its segments which have straight sides (versus curved) and rachillae which are not zigzag and are covered with scattered, very short, glandular hairs (versus zigzag and densely covered with golden brown hairs).

It also differs in habitat: L. radula occurs on steep slopes in montane forest more than 500 km to the north, in Thừa Thiên-Hue Province.