Caudex suberect or short-creeping, bearing tufted stipes; stipe to 60 cm long, light castaneous, minutely hairy in the groove only, basal scales to 10 × 1 mm, firm, dark; frond of young plants 3-5-lobed, successive ones with trilobed apex and 1 pair of pinnae lobed on the basiscopic side; lamina of mature plants to 40 cm long, consisting of a (usually) trilobed apex and 2 or 3 pairs of pinnae; lobes of frond-apex short-acuminate with a short obtuse lobe corresponding to each main vein; suprabasal pinnae commonly 20 cm long, 4-5 cm wide above the base, basiscopic base rounded, acroscopic base bearing an acuminate subentire lobe 6-10 × 1.5-2 cm, margins above base of pinna lobed as those of frond-apex; basal pinnae of largest fronds 25 cm long (stalk 3 cm) bearing 1 pair of subequal pinnules to 16 × 3.5 cm, the basiscopic ones sometimes longest; main veins in pinnae to 10 mm or more apart, cross-veins irregular; lower surface bearing sparse hairs (some to 0.4 mm long) on costae and main veins, sparse short hairs present between veins; upper surface closely short-hairy on costae, fewer hairs on veins, none between veins; sori numerous, rather small, irregularly arranged, sometimes ± confluent to form a row parallel to the costa, mosdy not on free veinlets in areoles; no indusia seen; spores with a strongly defined cristate network.
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