Rhizome 1-3 cm thick or more, short-creeping, phyllopods up to 10 cm distant. Anatomy: vascular bundles many, equally sized, arranged in 1 or 2 rows, without dark bundle sheaths, sclerenchyma strands absent. Rhizome scales peltate, monomorphic, with appressed base and squarrosely spreading acumen, dark brown-blackish with a lighter lacerate margin, strongly dentate to short-ciliate, elongated, 1.5-11 by 1-2.5 mm, index 1-8.5, apex acute, midrib present. Fronds dimorphic, rachises not persistent. Base fronds sessile, contiguous, mostly imbricate, lobed to 1/3, (10-) 15-35 by (10-)15-25 cm, index 1-1.5, margin entire, apex rounded. Foliage fronds stalked, stipe (5-)10-18 cm long, conspicuously winged, lamina pinnatifid to 0.2-0.5 cm from costa, 30-80 by 15-30 cm, index 2-4, apex aborted. Pinnae with or without basal constriction, all equally long, to 10-20 by 1.5-3.5 cm, index 3.5-6(-8), margin entire, apex acute to caudate, free veinlets simple or absent, hydathodes absent. Sori 2-7 in each areole irregularly scattered or in two irregular rows between the connecting veins, round, 1-2 mm wide, slightly sunken, often distinctly pustulate on the upper surface. Sporangia glabrous. Spores with spines.
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Rhizome 2-5 cm thick, scaly when young, smooth and snake-like when old, with scattered appressed scale bases. Scales 3-6 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, stiff, brown to very dark brown; bases rounded, ±appressed, overlapping, abruptly tapering to a narrow acute apex; margins paler and bearing very fine cilia. Nest fronds ±ovate, 11-36 cm long, 8-17 cm wide, shallowly or deeply lobed; lobe apices rounded. Foliage fronds to 100 cm long; stipe to 4.5 cm long, obscurely winged almost to the base. Lamina broadly ovate, pinnatifid, to 95 cm long, coriaceous. Lobes strap-like, gradually decurrent to within 0.5-1 mm of midrib, 7-33 cm long, 0.9-6 cm wide, narrowed slightly towards their base, tapering to a mostly acute apex; margins entire; costular nectary in acroscopic pinna axil or absent. Sori round, 1 (-2) mm diam., irregularly placed between major lateral veins of the foliage leaves, not impressed into the lamina surface. Spores 32.5-62.5 µm long, 27.5-42.5 µm wide.
Epiphytic, spirally climbing up to 35 metres above ground level in various types of primary and secondary forest. Also found in savannah, and sometimes terrestrial on sandy soils or epilithic on volcanic rocks.; at elevations to 1,400 metres.
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Terrestrial, often among rocks, or growing on tree trunks in open forest or rainforest.
UsesMedicine for eyes; rhizome applied to snake bites (Philippines), used for ‘rat scare-crow’ (Philippines). Salakans use it to be invisible to evil ghosts inhabiting Ficus species. Children use the base fronds as kites (Java).
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