Japan Flora: Rhizomes short, ascending, stout; stipes 30-60 cm. long, stout, rather densely scaly toward base, green; scales lanceolate, 8-13 mm. long, about 1 mm. wide, lin­ear to filiform at the tip, dark brown, remotely spinulose; blades chartaceous, large, deltoid, 50-80 cm. long, narrower or nearly as wide, acuminate, bipinnate in the lower portion, abruptly pinnate in the upper part, dark green or brownish when dried, paler beneath; pinnae 7-10 pairs, alternate, equilateral, the lower ones broadly deltoid-lanceolate, 30-40 cm. long, 10-20 cm. wide, gradually acuminate, pinnate, petiolulate, the upper pinnae deltoid-lanceolate, 10-20 cm. long, 2-4 cm. wide, gradually long-acuminate, truncate at base, short-petiolulate, doubly toothed, lobulate, the terminal pinna decurrent on the rachis; sori few to each lobe, linear, subcostal; indusia 3-5(-7) mm. long, the lowest anterior ones longest and often diplazi­oid.         

Honshu (Hachijo Isl., and Kii Prov.), Kyushu (s. distr.). Ryukyus, Formosa, China, Australia to Polynesia.