Rhizome very shortly creeping, with subulate scales 4–7.5 mm long, with a black central stripe and hyaline margins together with some pale brown scales and hairs. Fronds 10–90, tufted, erect or arching, (5–)14–100 cm tall; stipe dark brown to black, shiny, 2.5–35 cm tall with scales similar to those on rhizome, tufted at the base and pale scales scattered above; lamina narrowly triangular-oblong or oblong to distinctly triangular, bright green, 9–58 cm long, 5–32 cm wide, very finely divided, (2–)3-pinnate with ultimate pinnules pinnatifid; pinnae in 5–12 pairs, oblong-ovate, (2–)4–12.5(–19) cm long, (1–)2.2–6.5(–12) cm wide; pinnules in 6–8 pairs, oblong-triangular, (0.5–)1.3–4.5 cm long, (0.4–)0.8–1.7 cm wide; ultimate segments oblong in outline, 2–15 mm long, 1–7 mm wide, deeply pinnatifid or slightly bipinnatifid, glabrous or with a few hairs beneath; venation visible or obscure. Sori separate but sometimes becoming confluent at maturity. Indusium semicircular, entire to erose or deeply lacerate or triangular.