Terrestrial. Rhizome thick, ascending or suberect, densely covered with scales; scales linear, gradually narrowing towards apex, 2 cm or more long, up to 2 mm broad, tailed at apex, dark brown with pale cartilaginous edges which sometimes becoming uneven. Stipes stout, stramineous, or sometimes purplish when young, up to 60 cm long, densely scaly at base, bearing small auricles (reduced pinnae) throughout. Laminae up to 2 m long, to 60 cm wide. Lateral pinnae many in number, close, 2–3 cm apart from each other, ascending, linear, gradually narrowing towards long-tailed apex, round or subtruncate at sessile base, or decurrent at posterior base and adnate in the upper ones, entire, 30 by 1.2–2 cm; veins simple or forked usually near costa, distinct on both surfaces, very close, up to 0.5 mm apart; coriaceous, green, glabrous throughout. Sori narrow, long-continuous along costa; indusia narrow, usually broken before maturity