Rhizome: dichotomously branched many times, (1-) 1.5-2 mm diameter, slightly restricted at the branch junctions, covered with dark brown rhizoids 1-2 mm long, often lost in herbarium specimens. Aerial shoot: maturing in one season and terminating in an appendage similar to the largest leaves developed; simple, pendulous, (6-) 9-20 (-27) cm long; leaves and sporophylls spirally arranged. Leaves: (4-) 5-7 (-9) per cm of stem, subcoriaceous, sigmoid or narrow oblong with the distal end incurved; weakly dorsiventral or isobilateral, deep green, shiny, stomata distributed over both surfaces, but often unequally; (1-) 1.3-1.7 (-2.1) cm long (excl. mucro), (2-) 2.5-3.5 (-3.8) mm broad for most of the length, but tapering slightly towards the base and apex; apex truncate, obtuse in some New Caledonian forms; mucro pronounced, setaceous, 2-4 mm long. Sporophylls: (5-) 7-9 (-11) per cm of stem, produced in regular or irregular zones throughout, or restricted to the upper part of the shoot, slightly shorter or equal in length to the leaves. Synangium: small, 2-3 mm long, 1.5-2 mm high at the point of attachment; lobes unequal, often markedly so, the proximal one smaller, yellowish brown at maturity, brown when old. persistent. Spores: pale yellow, anisopolar, monolete, subgranulate, concavo-convex, (57-) 69 (-77) mcm long, (20-) 25 (-33) mcm broad (longitudinal plane). See Figs 4, 7, 8, 9, Table 1.

Rhizoma multum dichotomum, 2 mm diam.; surculus aerius simplex pendulus 10-24 cm longus folio magno terminatus; folia sigmoidea 1-2 cm longa 2-4 mm lata plerumque truncata vel emarginata mucrone setaceo 2-3.5 mm longo; sporophylla longitudine folia subaequantia; synangium parvum 2-3 mm longum sporangiis lobiis manifeste inaequalibus; sporae bilaterales, monoletae, subgranulatae (57-) 69 (-77) mcm longae.