Terrestrial or epiphyte; rhizome short-creeping or erect, up to 8 mm in diameter, with dense reddish-brown linear to lanceolate rhizome scales up to 14≈1 mm, with outgrowths towards tip, apex an acicular cell. Fronds tufted, 5–17 per plant, suberect to arching; stipe reddish-brown at base, straw-coloured or green above, 20–54 cm long, 5 mm in diameter, with adaxial groove, with dense reddish-brown ovate scales 6.5–20≈1.4–6 mm, the larger sessile, smaller stalked, tapering towards acicular cell at apex, twisted; lamina herbaceous, adaxially pale to dark green, abaxially pale green, ovate to narrowly ovate, 40–67≈12–25 cm, 2-pinnate; rachis straw-coloured, with dense short-stalked twisted reddish brown scales up to 4.5 mm long, terminating in an acicular cell, margins an irregular fringe; pinnae to 26 free pairs, to 140≈28 mm, the proximal slightly reduced and often deflexed, with up to 20 oblong-attenuate pairs of free pinnules, acroscopically developed towards the middle of the lamina; costa straw-coloured with adaxial groove densely scaly, scales smaller than, but resembling those of rachis; pinnules asymmetric, ovate to obliquely rhomboid, up to 15 mm long, acroscopically auriculate, basal pinnules often pinnatifid, the margins toothed to crenate, often with short awns, adaxially almost smooth or at the base of the costa with few scales, abaxially moderately covered with twisted narrowly linear to triangular scales up to 2.5 mm long; venation evident. Sori terminal or near terminal on abbreviated vein branches, discrete at maturity, circular, ± 1 mm in diameter; sporangium with 10–20 indurated annulus cells; indusium straw-coloured, peltate, round, rarely incomplete simple or often with a few central processes, 0.5–1 mm in diameter, persistent. Spores brown, ornamentation of tubercles, inflated or compressed reticulate ridges and some spines.Fig. 10: 5–6 & Fig. 11: 5.
