Rhizome stout, erect or suberect, but often subterranean, densely clothed at the apex with conspicuous linear-narrowly elliptic acuminate scales to c. 2 cm by 0.2-0.35 mm at the base, entire, medium to dark brown usually with a dark central zone extending to the apex. Fronds dimorphic, sterile spreading or erect, 65-140(-200) by 14-34 cm; densely and usually persistently scaly; fertile fronds also scaly, erect and with a very reduced lamina surface. Stipes of sterile fronds usually much shorter than the lamina, 24-80(-100) cm, brown, reddish brown or dark purple, usually densely clothed with persistent scales, towards the base like those of the rhizome (narrowly elliptic, attenuate at apices, 1.3-2.5 by 0.3-0.5 cm and cordate at base, entire, medium to dark brown), from about 10 cm above the base becoming broader and paler to medium brown, some concolorous but mostly weakly bicolorous with a darker brown central region extending to their apices, a mat of lanuginose material made up of minute tangled uniseriate hairs and small dendritically branched scales forms a layer (usually persistent) closely appressed to the stipe surface; stipes of fertile fronds more erect and up to the same length as the lamina. Lamina linear-narrowly elliptic to deltoid, 1-pinnate, 7-42 pairs of pinnae usually closely spaced. Rhachis similar colour to stipe and also usually densely scaly with persistent scales similar to those of the stipes, 0.8-1.5 by 0.1-0.3 cm, but towards the apex becoming smaller and intermingled with narrower attenuate, entire, light reddish brown scales, adaxial face of rhachis grooved and often finely verrucose, the abaxial face terete and smooth. Costae similar colour or paler than rhachis, the abaxial face with persistent thin narrowly elliptic scales, cordate at base, acuminate or attenuate at apices, much smaller than those of the rhachis, and more or less entire, adaxial face of costae sometimes verrucose. Sterile pinnae oblong-narrowly elliptic, often widest some distance from rhachis, acute or sometimes acuminate at apices, cordate at rhachis, 9-19(-28) by 1.7-2.3 cm, shortly petiolate or more usually sessile for most of lamina, basiscopically adnate close to apex, mostly closely spaced on rhachis and sometimes overlapping, coriaceous, margins varying from entire to finely serrate, sometimes revolute, sometimes crenate, veins frequently once furcate and prominent on abaxial face and each terminating in a clavate gland in the axil of a serration on the adaxial surface; basal pinnae similar to those of mid-frond, or slightly shorter, sometimes slightly auriculate; terminal pinna distinctly longer than subterminal pairs of pinnae. Fertile pinnae linear, 9-20 by 0.4-0.6 cm, costal scales persistent on the abaxial face and similar to those of the sterile pinnae, sori covering underside except for short sterile segment at apices. Spores 68.8 by 54.8 µm (from 10 herbarium specimens), perine alate or costate-alate, loosely reticulate, lacunae small polygons, muri wing-like, terminating margins often ciliate or looped, exine smooth to granulose.
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