Rhizome far-creeping and branching, ± glaucescent, 5-10 mm. diam.; clad in dark brown ovate-lanceolate attenuate paleae up to 1 cm. long; appressed at base, ascending at deciduous tips; stipites us. rather distant, articulated to rhizome, leaving a distinct scar. Stipes 5-20 cm. × 2-3 mm., deeply grooved, glab., with tuft of paleae at base. Lamina trimorphic, us. the different forms on the same plant; dark green and glossy above, paler below; subcoriac. to coriac.; venation us. very distinct; areoles large, with included free veinlets; margin us. very shallowly sinuate, thickened at sinus; sori us. absent or few and small in forms (a) and (b): (a) lamina simple, entire, lanceolate to elliptic-oblong, acute to obtuse; 10-25 × 2-3 cm.; (b) rather irregularly to subregularly lobed, acute to acuminate or sub-acute to obtuse; 20-30 cm. × 10-15 mm.; lobes lanceolate-oblong, up to 10 × 3 cm. or more; (c) regularly and rather closely lobed, us. with cop. sori; 20-40 × 10-20 cm.; lobes of two forms on separate fronds: (1) broadly oblong, subacute to obtuse, up to 10 × 1 cm.; sori rather distant, about midway between margin and vein. (2) narrow- to linear-oblong, acute, up to 15 × 1 cm.; sori close-set, near margin. Sori cop. in form (c) in a single row on each side of main and secondary veins, 2-4 mm. diam., globose to broad-oblong, up to 40 per lobe; slightly sunken, appearing as dark spots on the upper surface, or as bullate protuberances.