Rhizome long-scandent, brown, 1.5-2 mm ø, ± persistently scaly; scales honey-coloured, narrowly triangular or triangular-ovate, up to 3 by 1.5 mm, up to c. 25-seriate at base, the apex scarcely or not uniseriate. Leaves remote, 1 %-15 cm apart, issuing at about right angles; petioles stramineous to pale brown or mottled, adaxially narrowly sulcate, abaxially terete or faintly bi-angular, short in simply pinnate leaves, 6-20 cm long in bipinnate ones, shorter than the lamina. Lamina simply pinnate or bipinnate; if bipinnate oblong, 15-50 cm long, with 2-13 (often 6) pinnae to a side and a conform terminal one; primary rachis abaxially subterete or mostly bi-angular and convex. Pinnae little ascending, their width apart or a little closer, sessile, linear, 8-15 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm wide, shortly acuminate; simply pinnate laminas similar but mostly larger. Secondary rachises adaxially broadly sulcate, abaxially bi-angular almost to the base, the greater part narrowly sulcate and green-winged. Pinnules herbaceous, dark green when dry, c. 15-25 to a side, close, spreading, slightly ascending, or often slightly falcately decurved, 1/4-ovate in outline, the larger 1-1.75 cm by 4-7 mm, mostly about 2.5 times as long as wide; lower margin straight or concave, upper margin convex, a distinct outer margin not developed. Pinnules deeply incised from the upper margin, with 4 or 5 segments, the inner 1 or 2 bifid, or rarely twice bifid; lobes 2/3-2 mm wide, at the sorus broadened, to 1.5 mm wide, parallel-sided or slightly narrowed at the base, joined by a wing of 0.5 mm, subacute if sterile, rounded or sinuate-rounded if fertile. Upper pinnules rather suddenly reduced, confluent into a pinnatisect pinna-apex. Veins immersed, evident, 1 or 2 per lobe. Sori uni-or on the inner lobes binerval; indusium pale, subentire, 0.6-1.5 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, with approximately straight base, not reaching the margin by about twice its width, strongly reflexed and often concealed at full maturity. Spores pale brown, trilete, smooth, c. 28 μ.