Rhizome short-creeping, fleshy, with stipes arising in 2 rows. Stipe and rachis chestnut-brown, almost glabrous at base, becoming densely covered in non-glandular hairs at apex; stipe 25–90 cm long, 2–8 mm diam. Lamina 40–175 cm long, 25–120 cm wide, broadly ovate, 3-pinnate at base, with soft dense colourless or brown-tinged hairs on all surfaces, but more abundant towards apex. Primary pinnae in 25–40 pairs, stalked, longest 16–70 cm long, 6–17 cm wide, arising at narrow angles. Secondary pinnae arising at wide angles, longest 3.5–10 cm long, 15–30 mm wide, with winged midribs. Longest tertiary pinnae 10–18 mm long, 6–8 mm wide, divided part-way to midrib; lowest pair unequal in size and angle of attachment. Ultimate pinnules broad, oblong, obtuse. Sori submarginal, with paraphyses, protected by half-cup-shaped indusia. Spores pale, finely echinate or ±smooth.

Native.

In Australia confined to the Kimberley region, W.A., Kakadu National Park in N.T. and to Cape York Peninsula and the north-eastern Qld coast as far south as Rockingham Bay; also on Christmas Is. and widespread throughout the tropics.

In rainforest and on rainforest margins, often on damp banks, riverbanks or on alluvial flats.

W.A.: West Kimberley, 1901, F.M. House (PERTH). 

Qld: State Forest Reserve 607, Lock L.A., A.W.  Dockrill 815 (BRI); Kuranda road, Barron River, 7 July 1945, N.A. Wakefield (MEL); 19.3 km SW of Russell River Bridge, R.J. Chinnock 5794 & P.J. Brownsey (AD, BRI, WELT); 5.7 km SE of Butchers Creek School, R.J. Chinnock 5726 & P.J. Brownsey (AD, BRI, WELT).

F.M. Bailey, Lithograms of the Ferns of Queensland 48 (1892); R.M. Tryon & A.F. Tryon, Ferns and Allied Plants 375, fig. 54.2, 376, fig. 54.3 (1982); S.B. Andrews, Ferns of Queensland 124, fig. 10.1D (1990); J. Claussen, Native Plants of Christmas Island 109 (2005).

Claussen, J. (2005). Native Plants of Christmas Island. Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 22. (Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra / Christmas Island Natural History Association).

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 48 (1998), a product of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia