Trichomanes solidum G. Forster, Fl. Ins. Austr. 86. 1786; Davallia solida var. latifolia Hooker; D. solida var. ornata Mettenius ex Kuhn; D. subsolida Ching; Humata solida (G. Forster) Desvaux; Stenolobus solidus (G. Forster) C. Presl.

Rhizome 4-14 mm in diam., densely covered with scales, generally not white waxy. Scales red-brown, with pale border from base to apex, narrowed evenly toward apex or above much broader base evenly narrowed toward apex, not or seldom curling backward, peltate, 5-10 × 1-1.2 mm, with multiseptate hairs at least when young (hairs at least at apex of young scales, ca. 1 mm, woolly). Stipe pale, adaxially grooved, 9-35 cm, glabrous or with few scales; lamina compound, bipinnate or tripinnate toward base and in middle part, deltoid and broadest toward base, 15-90 × 21-40 cm, glabrous (sometimes with hairs at junction of rachis and petiolule), not or slightly dimorphic. Longest petiolules 5-25 mm; pinnae linear-triangular or narrowly ovate, apex acuminate; longest pinnae 11-28 × 6-15 cm; pinnules of at least larger pinnae anadromous, deltoid or rhombic; longest pinnules 40-100 × 15-80 mm; ultimate pinnae linear-oblong or rhombic, lobed almost to midrib, or only shallowly lobed (in bipinnate fronds: ultimate segments shallowly lobed); ultimate segments 10-40 × 3-17 mm. Rachises and costae glabrous (often hairs at junction of petiolules). Margins of each pinna not thickened. Veins in sterile ultimate lobes pinnate, reaching margin or not; false veins not present. Sori separate, borne several on a segment, at forking point of veins; indusium also attached along sides, pouch-shaped, oblong, longer than wide, 1.2-2 × 0.5-1 mm, upper margin not elongated, truncate or slightly rounded, separated from or even with lamina margin; lamina not extending into teeth beyond a sorus.

Sometimes the segments in Davallia solida are very narrow and the plant resembles D. solida var. fejeensis (Hooker) Nooteboom. Davallia solida is a widespread species and generally is easily recognizable by the black rhizome, which bears hairy scales that soon fall off leaving only the bases.

Epiphytic, epilithic on different kinds of rocks, or terrestrial on different kinds of soils, in exposed places or in deep shade, from open rocky places and savannas to primary rain forests; sea level to 1500 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, Yunnan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam (Tonkin); Pacific islands].