Aspidium heterocarpon Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 2: 155. 1828; Dryopteris heterocarpa (Blume) Kuntze; Nephrodium heterocarpum (Blume) T. Moore; Sphaerostephanos heterocarpus (Blume) Holttum; Thelypteris heterocarpa (Blume) C. V. Morton.

Plants 60-120 cm tall. Rhizomes erect, with brown lanceolate scales. Fronds clustered; stipes 10-20 cm, bases dark brown and scaly, dark stramineous distally; laminae 40-100 × 20-30 cm, bases abruptly narrowed, apices acuminate to caudate; pinnae 20-40 pairs, sessile, proximal 5-10 pairs shortened and auriculate with lowest 1 pair tuberculate; proximal pinnae narrowed toward bases; middle pinnae linear-lanceolate, 10-16 × 1-1.5 cm, bases truncate, lobed 1/2-2/3 toward costae, apices long acuminate; aerophores beneath pinna bases slightly swollen; segments 20-30 pairs, 4-5 × 2-2.5 mm, entire, apices obtuse; veinlets 6-9 pairs, proximal pair anastomosing, sometimes next vein running to sinus membrane. Laminae herbaceous, brownish green when dried, with short hairs along costae on both surfaces and along veins adaxially, also golden sessile spherical glands abaxially (sometimes also adaxially). Sori orbicular, medial; indusia slightly hairy, sometimes glandular. Sporangia bearing spherical glands on capsules. Spores light brown, densely echinulate. 2n = 72.

Wet places in forests; 100-1100 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan [Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia, Pacific islands (Polynesia)].