Terrestrial or lithophyte; rhizome short-creeping to suberect, often branched, up to 25 mm in diameter, with linear scales up to 30≈2 mm long, margins fringed. Fronds tufted, 5–8 per plant, arching, 100–180 cm long; stipe reddish-brown at base, paler above, up to 84 cm long, to 9 mm in diameter with adaxial groove, scales reddish-brown, large and small scales mixed, up to 16≈10 mm; lamina firmly herbaceous to coriaceous, ± narrowly ovate, up to 89 cm long, 2-pinnate to 3-pinnatifid; rachis straw-coloured, with adaxial groove, with sparse papery pale to reddish-brown scales up to 1.8 mm long; pinnae in up to 30 free pairs, lowest pair often slightly reduced, frequently somewhat deflexed; pinnae to 27 cm long with up to 27 free pinnule pairs; basal pinnules closest to rachis simple or incised to or near to costa, acroscopic pinnules of basal pair reduced on lowest pinna, but increasing in size towards middle of lamina, pinnules in general asymmetric, narrowly ovate to narrowly triangular, up to 45 mm long, acroscopically auricled with lobate-serrate margin, obtuse; costa pale with adaxial groove at base, with few pale twisted scales up to 1.2 mm long, abaxially sparsely scaly; veins evident or obscure. Sori terminal or near terminal on abbreviated or unabbreviated vein branches, discrete at maturity, round, ± 1 mm in diameter; sporangium with 9–20 indurated annulus cells; indusium persistent, peltate circular to reniform, margin shallowly lobed to irregularly dentate, maximum radial length 0.5 mm, brown. Spores with tubercles and a reticulate pattern of ridges. Fig. 10: 11–12 & Fig. 11: 4.
