Plants 75-90 cm tall. Rhizome ascending, short and thick. Fronds clustered; stipe brown at base, apical portion straw-colored, 30-45 cm × 2-3 mm, with brown scales at base; lamina 2(or 3)-pinnatipartite, oblong, 40-45 × 20-25 cm; lateral pinnae 4-8 pairs, subopposite or opposite, decumbent, sessile or basal pair stalked, stalk lanceolate, ca. 1 cm; basal pairs 20-23 × 4.5-5.5 cm, basally rounded-cuneate, pinnate to costa, apex acuminate, caudate; basal pair of pinnae each with basiscopic pinnule similar in shape to main part of pinna but smaller; segments 24-30 pairs, oblique, ca. 2 mm apart, lanceolate, 2-3.5 cm, basally enlarged (6-7 mm wide), margin entire, apex attenuate, acuminate; basiscopic segments slightly longer than acroscopic segments; terminal pinna similar to median lateral pinnae, stalked (2.5-3.5 cm); costae prominent abaxially, pale brown-straw-colored, sometimes mauve, with flat short spines on both sides of groove, midvein with 3-5 thin spines; costae, midvein, and abaxial surface of segments sparsely strigose; rachis straw-colored, glabrous; veins conspicuous on both surfaces, oblique, 2-forked from base, and opposite veins at segment base oblique up to margin of incision; lamina brown-green, herbaceous when dried.