Cyrtomium luctuosum J.P.Roux

Plants terrestrial. Rhizome simple, ascending to erect, stout, to 110 mm long, to 8 mm in diameter, set with roots, crowded, spirally arranged persistent stipe bases, live fronds, and scales, the scales ferrugineous to castaneous, firmly chartaceous to thinly crustaceous, broadly attached or cordate, narrowly triangular, to 12 mm long, to 1.2 mm wide, the margins variously set with short and/or long twisted, simple, pluricellular, uniseriate outgrowths, the scale apex flagelliform, terminating in a uniseriate series of elongated cells. Fronds to 14 per plant, caespitose, erect, to 520 mm long; stipes proximally dark brown, green higher up, firm, to 210 mm long, to 3 mm in diameter, sulcate adaxially, variously set with dark brown to reddish-brown scale scars of variable sizes and shapes along the stipe and rachis length, proximally densely set with scales, moderately scaled higher up, the larger scales centrally atrocastaneous towards the point of attachment and scale apex, the margins brown to ferrugineous, firmly chartaceous to thinly crustaceous, broadly attached to cordate, broadly ovate-caudate to lanceolate-caudate, to 16 mm long, to 7 mm wide, often somewhat bullate, the margins variously set with short angular outgrowths and long, twisted, distally uniseriate, pluricellular outgrowths, the scale apex terminating in a short or long uniseriate series of filiform cells, also with scattered pluricellular, uniseriate hairs on the scale laminae or surfaces, smaller scales twisted, ferrugineous, thinly chartaceous, sessile, cuneate to cordate, narrowly triangular, to 4 mm long, to 1.5 mm wide, the margins variously set with twisted, pluricellular, uniseriate outgrowths as well as short angular or curved outgrowths, the scale apex flagelliform, terminating in a uniseriate series of elongated cells, the terminal cell oblong and deeper in colour; laminae oblong-acute, to 350 mm long, to 130 mm wide, 1-pinnate, with (4-)7(-12) sub-opposite to alternate pinna pairs that are more widely spaced towards the base, the basal 2 or 3 pinna pairs slightly reduced or not, often somewhat deflexed, the distal pinnae often slightly overlapping; rachis sulcate and olive-green adaxially, pale green abaxially, the sulcus not confluent with that of the costae, variously scaled, the scales stramineous to ferrugineous, chartaceous, cordate, filiform to narrowly triangular or narrowly lanceolate-caudate, to 6 mm long, to 1.5 mm wide, the margins variously set with outgrowths similar to those on the smaller stipe scales; pinnae petiolate at the lamina base, sessile at the apex, the petiole to 3 mm long, closely set with scales similar to but smaller than those on the rachis, the pinnae not or gradually reduced in size towards the lamina apex, herbaceous, olive-green adaxially, paler abaxially, inaequilateral, ovate-acuminate to oblong-acuminate, to 75 mm long, to 34 mm wide, often somewhat falcate, acroscopically enlarged, mostly with a low obtuse, often inconspicuous auricle acroscopically, the basiscopic margin narrowly to broadly cuneate, the acroscopic margin truncate to broadly cuneate, the margins irregularly dentate, thickened, the terminal pinna as large or larger than the lateral pinnae directly below, mostly with an auricle developed on one side, rarely on both sides, the auricles variously developed, the base oblique, narrowly to broadly cuneate, glabrous adaxially, abaxially moderately set with conspicuous, pluricellular, uniseriate hairs to 0.1 mm long, and paleasters to 0.3 mm long; costae shallowly sulcate adaxially, prominent abaxially, the sulcus not confluent with that of the rachis, proximally closely set with scales similar to those on the petiole; venation evident or obscure, reticulate, primary veins obscure, areolae irregularly storied, the 1 order areolae transversely narrowly rhomboid to oblong on outline, with 1 to 3, simple or branched, apically directed excurrent free vein branches, the 2nd order areolae variable, with 1 or 2 simple, excurrent or recurrent free vein branches, higher order areolae present or not, if present then polygonal, mostly with a single, simple, excurrent vein branch, ultimate vein branches simple or branched, ending near the pinna margin; stomata hypostomatic, guard cells (54-)59(-62) µm long. Sori more commonly confined to the distal parts of the lamina and pinnae, scattered, medial or inframedial on the free vein branches in areolae as well as the free vein branches near the margin, circular, 1.0 to 1.2 mm in diameter at maturity; indusia persistent, peltate, ferrugineous, firmly chartaceous, circular, the margins laciniate, to 1 mm in diameter, rugose and infundibuliform at maturity; receptacle nude, raised; sporangia stalks long, simple, 3-seriate below the capsule, capsule broadly elliptic in lateral view, with (13-)15(-17) indurated annulus cells, epistomium (3-)4(-5)-celled, hypostomium (3-)4-celled; spores 32 or 64 per sporangium, brown, ellipsoidal, monolete, laesura to 3/4 the spore length, perispore with large inflated tubercules, the exospore surfaces smooth, endospore (28-)32(-34) µm long. Chromosome number: n=123, 2n = 123, apogamous.