Caudex suberect or short-creeping with tufted stipes; stipe very dark, to 40 cm long, minutely hairy, basal scales medium brown, not rigid, to 15 × 1.5 mm; lamina of fronds of young plants ovate-acuminate, then 3-5-lobed with cordate base, next stage with 3-lobed apical lamina and 1 pair of entire bilobed pinnae bearing also ± developed basal acroscopic auricles; lamina of fronds of mature plants very firm, to 40 cm long, consisting of a trilobed apex and 3 pairs of pinnae; basal pinnae to 25 cm long, broadly crenate-lobate with one or more large basiscopic lobes and a narrower elongate acroscopic one, the basal lobes separately adnate on largest fronds; middle pinnae ± crenate-lobate, usually bearing an obtuse to acute acroscopic auricle; at least the midlobe of the apical lamina of the frond crenate-lobate; costae of pinnae dark at the base on the lower surface, paler distally, minutely hairy; main veins 6-7 mm apart, pale and prominent on the lower surface, variably short-hairy, as also surface between veins; upper surface minutely hairy on costae, hairs between veins few, very short, near margin only; sori in one row on each side of main veins, often with some additional ones near the costa, on free veins in areoles, in some specimens (including the type) distinctly impressed, always marked by prominences on the upper surface; indusia reniform, persistent, sometimes bearing short superficial hairs; spores cristate.
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