Rhizome erect, ± fleshy, 5–8 mm wide but the branches forming a caudex up to 2.5 cm wide; rhizome scales brown, lanceolate-attenuate, 7–10 mm long, 1–2 mm wide. Fronds tufted, 0.15–2 m tall; stipe usually reddish or pink when living, 7.5–55 cm tall, glabrous save for scales at base but young stipes of undeveloped fronds often scaly throughout. Lamina ovate-lanceolate in outline, 20–50 cm long, 10–34 cm wide, acute to acuminate-attenuate at the apex, 2–3-pinnate with ± 18 pairs of pinnae, the basal pair somewhat reduced; pinnae lanceolate in outline, acuminate to caudate at the apex, 1.5–20 cm long, 0.8–8 cm wide, with 10–20 pairs of pinnules; pinnules oblong-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 1–5 cm long, 0.3–2 cm wide, sometimes cut to the base into secondary pinnules, the lamina then distinctly 3-pinnate but often only 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, the pinnules crenate to divided into narrow lobes; pinnule-lobes or secondary pinnules 3–10 mm long, 1–7 mm wide; soft spinules up to 1 mm long often present where wings of rhachis or rhachilla are interrupted by pinnule-bases and some short indumentum sometimes present. Sori oblong, curved or J-shaped, up to 2 mm long, 5–7 per pinnule-lobe or secondary pinnule; indusium shortly to deeply fimbriate or subentire (fide Schelpe).
