Rhizome stout, erect, clad in very dark brown linear-subulate paleae, sts with narrow pale margin, up to 1 cm. long; stipites densely tufted. Stipes stout, 15-30-(45) cm. × 3-4 mm., clad, especially in lower part, in linear-subulate paleae, mingled, especially in upper part, with slender scurfy hairs. Rhachis stout, ± paleate and hairy, with numerous approximate to rather distant pinnae. Lamina (20)-25-30-(40) × (7)-10-15-(25) cm., coriac., lanceolate to deltoid-oblong, acuminate; very dark green and glab. above, paler and ± scurfy below; bipinnate. Larger pinnae 5-10 × 2-4 cm., about lanceolate, acuminate; lower pinnules very shortly stalked, upper decurrent and confluent. Pinnules diverse on different plants, up to 15 × 5 mm., lanceolate- to ovate-oblong: (a) sharply serrately toothed (b) lower teeth crenate (c) all crenate to subentire, obtuse to subacute. Sori up to 8 in two rows about half way between midvein and margin, c. 2 mm. diam.; indusium flat, becomes concave upwards, with dark centre and pale margin.

Rhizomes short, erect. Stipes and rachises densely scaly; scales narrow, dull, usually uniformly blackish brown but rarely having narrow pale borders, with expanded colourless fimbriate bases. Laminae very variable, narrowly oblong, elliptic, ovate, or almost triangular, 2- to almost 3-pinnate, 10-50 × 4-25 cm. Primary pinnae in 10-30 pairs, ovate to narrowly ovate, the longest 2-13 × 1-5 cm. Secondary pinnae in 5-20 pairs, ovate to narrowly ovate with a basal acroscopic lobe, the longest 7-30 × 5-12 mm, very variable in dissection, from ± entire with obtuse apices to deeply dissected (almost to midrib) with sharply pointed apices. Sori round, protected by ± flat peltate indusia with black centres and pale margins.