Rhizomes shortly creeping, densely scaly; scales dark brown, stiff, 2-3 mm, 3-6 cells wide at base, acicular at apex. Stipe stramineous or castaneous, 15-30 cm, abaxially sulcate except toward base; lamina triangular-ovate, 10-20 × 10-15 cm, thickly papery to leathery, 3-or 4-pinnate, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex acuminate; pinnae 8-10 pairs, alternate, slightly to distinctly ascending, lanceolate or narrowly triangular, 2-or 3-pinnate at base, base broadly cuneate and stalked, apex ± abruptly acuminate, gradually becoming smaller upward; ultimate pinnules or segments cuneate, to 7 mm wide, apex broadly rounded to truncate, its margin entire to irregularly crenulate when fertile, erose when sterile, revolute in thicker segments; veins immersed or slightly raised adaxially, complanate to slightly raised on both surfaces in thinner laminae, concolorous with laminar surface. Sori terminal on 2-4 vein ends; indusia basally and entirely adnate laterally, denticulate to erose, rarely repand, distinctly shorter than or rarely coterminous with adaxial lamina. Spores ellipsoid, monolete. 2n = 96.