Plant sub-erect, main stem up to 40 cm long and 1.5–1.8 mm in diam., profusely branched above, cylindrical, often with two furrows on dorsal side when dry, glabrous, yellow brownish green above; rhizophores numerous, stout, on the lower 2/3, up to 15 cm long and 1 mm in diameter, arising at right angles to the stem or reflexed; branches 2–3-pinnate, diverging at right or acute angles to the stem, brownish towards the top, stout, primary branches up to 10–12 cm long and c. 1 mm in diameter. Leaves heteromorphic, dull green on the dorsal side, pale metallic green on the ventral side; lateral leaves closely spaced or imbricated, 2.8–3 x 1.5–1.8 mm, with a midrib not reaching the apex, unequal, acroscopic side half-ovate to lanceolate, rounded at base, long ciliated at margin towards base and subentire towards apex, basiscopic side semi-linear to oblong, truncate at base, subentire; median leaves c. 1.5 mm apart, c. 1.2 x 0.8 mm, subcircular or subcircular-elliptical, slightly unequal, with conspicuous midrib and reaching apex, rounded at the base, hyaline and ciliate on the edges, obtuse and awned, with a green ridge reaching about ⅓ of the length of the blade; axillary leaves c. 2 x 1.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, slightly unequal, with a midrib not reaching the apex, rounded at the base, with a ciliate margin below and entire above , acute at the apex. Strobili solitary at end of last branches, 5(–10) x c. 2 mm. sporophylls dimorphic; dorsal sporophylls green, c. 1.2 x 0.7–0.8 mm, oblong-lanceolate, slightly unequal, rounded at base, loosely serrate at margins, acute at apex, keeled, with keel hyaline, well developed, shortly ciliate; ventral sporophylls hyaline, c. 0.75 x 0.5–0.6 mm, broadly ovate-triangular, shortly ciliate at margins, narrowly acute at apex; with 2 kind of spores.

auquieri: named after Paul Henri Auquier, Belgian botanist (1939-1980), collected the type specimen in Irangi, DRC.

Dense equatorial rainforest, on damp ground, on mossy rocks and in marshes, rarely on tree trunks, altitude up to 900 m.

See African distribution.

Dem. Republic of Congo.

Terrestrial.