Rhizomes long creeping, 3-5 mm thick, densely scaly; scales brown, ovate, 4-7 mm, membranous, margin entire or slightly ciliate, apex acute. Fronds remote; sterile fronds 11-30 cm, stipe stramineous, 5-15 cm, sparsely scaly; lamina lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 6-15 × 1.5-3 cm, leathery, brown when dry, with very sparse, small, brown, stellate scales, base cuneate, margin entire, thickened and slightly reflexed, apex acute; midrib obvious, prominent on both surfaces, with occasional brown, linear scales, thinly grooved above, secondary veins inconspicuous, forked, terminating at margin; fertile fronds: stipe 15-20 cm, lamina somewhat narrower.