Rhizomes short, erect, apex clothed with dark brown, lanceolate scales. Fronds caespitose; fertile fronds (20-)40-55 cm, stipe dark brown, upward stramineous, shiny, (8-)20-30 cm, (0.5-)1.5 mm in diam., base similarly scaly, with sparse lanceolate scales, upward glabrate; lamina pinnate-pinnatifid to pinnate-pinnatipartite, lanceolate, (12-)20-35 × (3-)5-7 cm at middle, base slightly narrowed, apex acuminate; pinnae (10-)16-20 pairs, alternate, spreading, with short stalk ca. 1 mm or subsessile; middle pinnae subfalcate-lanceolate, ca. 3.5 × (0.7-)1-1.3 cm at base, base rounded-truncate or subtruncate, slightly unequally sided, pinnatipartite, apex acuminate; pinnules ca. 10 pairs, alternate, approximate, oblique; lower pinnules oblong-ovate, ca. 4 × 2.5 mm (basal acroscopic pinnules larger), base decurrent on basiscopic side, margin subentire, apex obtuse and with small teeth; veins inconspicuous adaxially, visible abaxially, pinnate in pinnules, lateral veins oblique, simple, basal acroscopic veins forked. Lamina herbaceous when dried, greenish brown, glabrate on both surfaces; rachis and costae pale stramineous, glabrate abaxially, with needlelike spines on adaxial side at base of costa and costule. Sori oblong, 2 or 3 pairs in lower pinnules, close and subparallel to costules, 1 pair in upper pinnules; indusia brownish, oblong, membranous, entire, persistent. Perispore surface without folds.

● Margins of mixed forests, bamboo forests, shrub meadows, rare; 2600-3700 m. NW Yunnan.