Plants 30-60 cm tall. Rhizome erect, apex densely scaly; scales brown. Fronds caespitose; stipe stramineous, 15-25 cm, 3-4 mm in diam., densely scaly; scales dark brown or nearly black, broadly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, entire or remotely dentate; lamina ovate-lanceolate, 40-70 cm, up to 20 cm wide, bipinnatipartite or bipinnatisect, base not narrowed, subtruncate, apex acuminate; pinnae 17 pairs, basal pinnae similar to middle ones, not shortened, lanceolate, 9-11 × 1.5-2 cm, widest at base, up to 2.5 cm wide, truncate, sessile; pinnules or segments ca. 15 pairs, subovate or ovate-lanceolate, length 1-1.5 × width, with obscure teeth, apex obtuse, basal ones somewhat larger. Lamina thinly papery, both surfaces glabrous, except for sparse, linear, brown scales on costae abaxially, rachis densely clothed with linear-lanceolate, sparsely dentate, black scales; veins pinnate, mostly forked, conspicuous abaxially. Sori confined to upper part of lamina, 3-6 pairs on each pinnule or segment; indusia ferruginous, somewhat large, membranous, caducous.
