Rhizome stout, far-creeping, clad in stiff linear-attenuate dark brown paleae, up to 8 mm. long; stipites distributed along rhizome. Stipes wiry, shining, dark purple to almost black, scabrid towards paleate base; 8-25-(40)cm. long. Rhachis wiry, blackish purple, flexuose, glab.; secondary rhachides sts ± pubescent. Lamina 15-30-(40) × 7-20- (25) cm., ovate to narrow deltoid, bi- to tri-pinnate below, pinnate above, firm, pale to rather dark green above, ± glaucous below, glab. Primary pinnae up to 12 × 5 cm., ovate to oblong; secondary up to 4 × 2 cm.; terminal pinna up to 20 cm. or more long. Pinnules dimidiate-oblong to dimidiate-rhomboid or rhomboid; fertile 10-25 × 5-12 mm.; sterile up to 30 × 15 mm., with often acute lobes; lower margin entire, straight to concave-convex; upper margin with alternately shallow and rather deep crenate lobes. Sporangia in sinuses of shallower lobes, up to 14 groups per pinnule, protected by orbicular- reniform to lunulate, ± crenulate to toothed reflexed margins 1·5-2 mm. diam.

n = 58

Rhizomes far-creeping, scaly. Stipes and rachises glabrous except at very base. Laminae ovate or elliptic, 10-35 × 5-24 cm, (2)-3-pinnate. Primary pinnae alternate, (1)-2-4-(5) on each side of rachis bearing secondary pinnae, and a terminal portion with 10-12 undivided primary pinnae on each side. Ultimate pinnules ± oblong or parallelogrammoid, tending to curve acroscopically at the apices, 8-25 × 4-12 mm; stalk attached at proximal corner; upper and outer margins irregularly toothed, lower and inner margins entire; both surfaces glabrous, upper surface dark green, lower glaucous. Indusia ± reniform with prominent sinuses, glabrous, to 14 per pinnule on upper and outer margins.