Japan Flora: Rhizomes erect, short, covered with the basal stubs of old fronds; fronds tufted; stipes 20-30 cm. long, straw-colored to pale brown, usually slightly purplish, densely scaly at base; scales broadly linear, 8~10 mm. long, about 1 mm. wide, nearly black, slightly lustrous, entire; blades firmly herbaceous, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, 25-45 cm. long, 15-30 cm. wide, abruptly caudate-acuminate, not narrowed at base, glabrous, bipinnate; pinnae 8-10 pairs, lanceolate, 2-4 cm. wide, long- acuminate, spreading, sessile or nearly so; pinnules rather numerous, the basal one auriculate on anterior side, narrowly ovate, 1.2-2.5 cm. long, 5-12 mm. wide, acute to obtuse, broadly cuneate at base, sessile, toothed to lobulate; sori 8-14 to a pinnule, subcostal, parallel, ascending; indusia broadly lanceolate, subentire, often brownish, straight to gently curved, 1.5-4 mm. long, the lowest anterior one often athyrioid.       

Honshu (Tokaido to Kinki Distr. and westxv.), Shikoku, Kyushu. China