Rhizome 2-4 mm. diam., far-creeping, branched; glabrate to rather densely clad in hairs; stipites often approximate. Stipes us. pale brown except towards reddish base, glabrate to sparingly hairy, 7-25 cm. (sts longer) × 3-4 mm. Rhachis (and costae) pale brown to stramineous, sts darker, with scattered hairs. Primary pinnae distant, subopp. to alt. Lamina pale green, membr., broadly ovate to deltoid, 15-45 × 7-25 cm. Lower primary pinnae 20-25 × 5-10 cm., ovate-oblong, acuminate; upper gradually diminishing to terminal seg. Secondary pinnae up to 6 × 2 cm., narrow ovate-oblong, pinnatisect to pinnate, attenuate; tertiary up to 1cm. × 4 mm., in subopp. pairs, ovate-oblong, confluent or not at base, pinnatifid to pinnatisect. Segs 2-5 mm. long, cut deeply into narrow-triangular, acute to apiculate teeth. Sori us. cop., up to 40 per pinnule, often clustered near sinuses, hardly 1 mm. diam., not or hardly protected.

Rhizome subterranean, long-creeping, 1.5-3 mm diam., glabrous or bearing scattered pale brown hairs (especially near growing point), stipes arising at intervals of 1.5-13 cm. Stipes 5-35 cm long,1.5- 3 mm diam., red-brown below, pale brown above, a few pale or reddish brown hairs along stipe. Laminae rhombic, ovate or broadly ovate, 15-40(70) × 8-25 cm, membranous to slightly coriaceous, normally tripinnate (bipinnate in smallest specimens) at apex to quadripinnate or sometimes almost 5- pinnate at base. Rachis pale brown to yellowish green, bearing pale brown or colourless non-glandular hairs c. 1 mm long. 1ry pinnae in 20-25 pairs, the lowest arising at 30-50° to stem, upper ones at 70-90°, opposite below, subopposite or alternate above, the longest below middle 7-26 × 3.5-13 cm; lowest ones 3.5-15 cm apart, middle ones 1.5-5 cm apart; upper ones narrowly ovate, lower ones ovate, midrib narrowly winged towards apices. 2ry pinnae narrowly ovate to ovate, midribs broadly winged, 2.5-8 × 1-3.5 cm, those on the lower pinnae decreasing in length along the pinnae. 3ry pinnae 0.5-2 × 0.3-1 cm, 2-6 deep serrations per pinnule. 4ry pinnae 0.1-0.5 × 0.1-0.4 mm, sometimes deeply divided. Hairs: glistening colourless hairs scattered along midribs of pinnae and pinnules, on both surfaces, up to 1 mm long. Veins reaching margin at tooth apex. Sori: one on each ultimate segment, though often absent from lowest two pairs of pinnae, originating away from margin, unprotected at maturity or partially covered by a green reflexed marginal flap. Spores very pale under light microscope, perispores of inter-connecting flattened projections, (28)31-34(38) × (18)20-22(26) mcm (5 populations). See Fig. 3B, 11, and 18D.

n = 52

n = 52