Plants 50-75 cm tall. Rhizome erect, short, ca. 1 cm in diam., apex densely clothed with brown scales. Fronds clustered; stipe brown-straw-colored, rarely pale straw-colored, shiny, 17-40 cm, 2-3 mm in diam., glabrous; rachis similar in color, slightly lustrous, sparsely gray puberulent or glabrescent; lamina 2- or 3-pinnatipartite, broadly ovate in outline, 30-44 × (14-)22-27 cm; lateral pinnae 5-7 pairs, opposite, oblique or decumbent, basal pair shortly stalked, remainder sessile, broadly lanceolate, 14-17 × 3.2-4.5 cm, base rounded-truncate, pectinately divided to narrowly winged costae, apex acuminate, lobate or shortly caudate; basal pair of pinnae often with 1(or 2) basiscopic pinnules similar to main part of pinna but smaller; segments 25-30 pairs, alternate or subopposite, slightly decumbent, 1-2 mm apart, falcate, broadly linear, 20-25 × 5-6 mm, base conspicuously expanded, margin entire, apex obtuse; terminal pinna similar to median lateral pinnae, stalk 1-1.5 cm; costae prominent abaxially, light straw-colored, slightly lustrous, sparsely gray strigose, with soft flat spines along grooves, midvein sparsely gray puberulent abaxially; veins conspicuous on both sides, decumbent, 2-forked at base, pair of opposite veins at segment base extending up to margin of incision; lamina light green when dried, thinly herbaceous, abaxially sparsely gray strigose, adaxially glabrous.

Forests; 2500-2800 m. Xizang (Neilalmu), Yunnan (Dangbi, Dayao) [Bhutan, N India, Nepal].