Japan Flora: Rhizomes short, rather stout, with dense, pale brown, membranous, broadly linear scales about 3 mm. long; stipes 3-15 cm. long, pale brown or stramineous, sulcate on upper side, prominently scaly, the callose base of scales persistent; blades obovate-oblong to broadly oblanceolate, 20-50 cm. long inclusive of the elongate terminal pinna, nar­rowed at base, simply pinnate, the rachis stramineous, sulcate on upper side, rounded and more or less scaly or scabrous on underside; pinnae 12-26 pairs, spKading，simple, the lower ones 1-2 cm. long, the median 4-8 cm. long, truncate and sometimes slightly auriculate at base, sessile, glabrous and gray-green above, the costa thinly pubescent beneath, the sterile pinnae linear-lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 7-8 mm. wide, usually obtuse, minutely toothed, the fertile pinnae elongate, 4-7 mm. wide.

Honshu (Kii Prov.), Shikoku, Kyushu (s. distr.); rare. Ryukyus, Formosa, s. China, and generally in the Tropics and subtropics of the Old World.