Rhizome long-creeping, (3)4-8 mm diam., densely covered in pale brown hairs near growing apex, more scattered and becoming red-brown elsewhere, giving rise to stipes at intervals of 10-15 cm. Stipes (15)20-100 cm long, (2)5-15 mm diam., redbrown at base, becoming pale red-brown or yellowbrown above, bearing red-brown hairs at very base, soon replaced by colourless glandular and nonglandular hairs (up to 5 mm long on uncoiling fronds); two dark, prominent, vertical bands on opposite sides of stipe. Laminae broadly ovate or elliptic, (20)35-135 × (15)35-110 cm, bipinnate at apex, 4 or 5-pinnate at base. Rachis yellow-brown at base, green at apex, bearing colourless glandular and non-glandular hairs (up to 3 mm long). 1ry pinnae in 15-30 pairs, opposite or sub-opposite, lower pair arising at 30-50° to stem; longest pair below middle, usually basal, (11)20-70 × (7)14-45 cm; lowest ones (5) 10-40 cm apart, middle ones 2-5 cm apart; upper ones narrowly ovate, lower ones ovate. 2ry pinnae ovate, (4.5)7-30 × 3-15 cm, those on the lower pinnae decreasing markedly in length along the pinnae. 3ry pinnae ovate, (1.6)2-8 × (0.7)1- 3.5 cm, midrib winged. 4ry pinnae narrowly ovate, 0.7-1.6 × 0.2-0.6 cm, shallowly incised on smaller specimens, divided into 4-5 pairs of ultimate segments on larger specimens. Veins reaching margin at a tooth apex, or sometimes ending just short of margin. Hairs: colourless glandular and non-glandular hairs on midribs and veins of both lamina surfaces but absent from margins, 0.3-1.5 mm long. Sori on upper margin of each ultimate segment, situated at vein endings, protected by obvious reflexed flaps (green at base, membranous at apex, incised); protected from earliest stages. Spores very pale under light microscope, perispores of interconnecting flattened projections, (35)38-39(42) × (21)22-25(29) mcm (5 populations). See Fig. 1D, 2D, 4C, 16, and 18G.

n = 104