Plants terrestrial, epilithic or epiphytic. Rhizome short-creeping, sparsely branched, to 120 mm long, to 5 mm in diameter, closely set with roots, persistent stipe bases and scales, scales chartaceus, atrocastaneus to ferrugineous, clathrate, sessile, subulate, cordate-imbricate, entire, apex terminates in an oblong thin-walled cell, to 9 mm long, to 0.6 mm wide. Fronds closely spaced, arching, to 660 mm long; stipe firm, atrocastaneus to black, adaxially sulcate, to 245 mm long, to 2.5 mm in diameter, densely scaled, scales chartaceus, atrocastaneus to ferrugineous, clathrate, sessile, subulate, cordate-imbricate, entire, apex terminates in an oblong thin-walled cell, to 8 mm long, to 0.6 mm wide; lamina anadromous, to 2-pinnate, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, to 420 mm long, to 105 mm wide, with up to 18 stalked pinna pairs; rachis firm, atrocastaneus to black, sulcate adaxially, initially closely set with scales similar to those on the stipe; pinnae petiolate, petiole to 5 mm long, opposite to alternate, basally slightly more widely spaced, firmly herbaceous, lanceolate, to 70 mm long, to 37 mm wide, with up to 2 pinnule pairs; pinna-rachis sulcate adaxially, sulcus confluent with that of the rachis, initially densely scaled, scales similar to, but smaller than, those on the rachis; pinnules cuneate, trullate or obtrullate, narrowly to broadly cuneate, basiscopically decurrent towards the apex, divided into oblong segments, irregularly dentate, to 25 mm long, to 11 mm wide, adaxially sparsely scaled, scales chartaceus, castaneus, clathrate, sessile, filiform, cordate, entire, often with 2 or more oblong gland-like cells near the base, apex terminates in an oblong thin-walled cell, to 0.3 mm long, abaxially initially moderately scaled, scales chartaceus, ferrugineous, clathrate, sessile, subulate, cordate to cordate-imbricate, usually with several short filiform outgrowths at the base, these generally terminate in an oblong thin-walled cell, apex terminates in an oblong thin-walled cell, to 0.7 mm long, to 0.5 mm wide. Venation obscure, flabellate, terminating in the teeth near the margin. Stomata (36-)47.07(-64) (m long. Sori linear, extending along a vein, to 8.5 mm long; indusium firmly herbaceous, stramineous, linear, entire, attached along the entire length, to 8.5 mm long, to 0.3 mm wide; sporangium long-stalked, simple, uniseriate, 3-seriate below the capsule, capsule globose in lateral view, with (18-)19(-24) indurated annulus cells, epistomium (2-)2(-3)-celled, hypostomium (4-)4(-5)-celled. Spores 64 per sporangium, brown, elliptic, monolete, with low reticulate ridges and prominent wings, (44-)43.73(-54) x (22-)26.72(-34) (m. Chromosome number 2n = 288, octoploid. Figure 46A & B.