Erect or subscandent, dichotomously branched herb; rhizome creeping, scaly; stems, midribs of leaflets above and below, and lobes of leaflets below +/- densely covered with brown arachnoid scales, some scales lanceolate with long-ciliate margins. Leaflets paired at ultimate nodes, deeply pinnatifid, oblong, tapered to long-caudate-acuminate apices, 25-45 cm long, 2-8 cm wide, sessile; lobes sometimes of irregular lengths, mostly 2-4.5 cm long, 2-3 mm wide, moderately thin, the veins 1-forked. Sori round, in 2 rows, l row on each side of midrib on underside of lobes, each sorus usually bearing 4 or fewer sporangia. Croat 11762. Locally abundant on steep, eroding banks on the shore, on the north side of the island, often growing with the more abundant Dicranopteris pectinata and often preferring the more shaded areas.