Rhizome short-creeping, its apex and bases of stipes covered with shining black hairs. Juvenile fronds once or twice dichotomous, leaflets palmately divided with 4-7 subequal lobes, base often more or less cordate, lobes to about 18 cm long and 18 mm wide, acuminate, edges shallowly serrate, a vein ending in each tooth. Scandent frond to about 4 m long, rachis to 2 mm diameter; primary rachis-branches very short, with a dormant apex covered with brown hairs having small swollen bases; secondary rachis-branches 1-3 times dichotomous or sub-pinnate (lowest ones sometimes unbranched and bearing large 6-lobed leaflets); sterile leaflets composed of 2-4 subequal lobes 15 cm or more long and c. 15 mm wide, the sinuses between the lobes reaching to 15 mm from the base of the leaflet, edges regularly serrate, not or little thickened, base cuneate to cordate, surfaces glabrous and usually not warty when dried; fertile secondary branches 1-3 times dichotomous or (if the dichotomies are unequal) more or less distinctly pinnate with two dichotomous tertiary branches (tertiary branches may rarely have three separate leaflets); fertile leaflets simple or more usually consisting of two subequal lobes united at the base, lamina 3-10 mm wide, sorophores commonly 2-3 mm long, less often to 6 mm; spores coarsely and irregularly verrucose.