[11] On either side of the petiole where it arises from the rhizome there are flat, rounded, leathery, ear-shaped stipules, known as "auricles",[12][13] which can measure up to 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter.

Each pinnae carries about 30 to 40 pairs of pinnules that measure around 13 by 2 cm (5.1 by 0.8 in), and both the main rachis and the secondary rachillae (midribs) are pulvinate (swollen at the base).

[4] Angiopteris evecta was originally named and described as Polypodium evectum by Georg Forster in 1786, in his book Florulae Insularum Australium Prodromus.

[21] As of April 2023[update], Plants of the World Online lists 26 synonyms for Angiopteris evecta,[22] which are considered by some authorities to potentially be distinct species, calling for a more thorough taxonomic investigation.

Homotypic Heterotypic Angiopteris evecta is native to southeast Asia and Oceania, from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the west through to Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia in the east, and from Japan in the north to northern and eastern Australia in the south.

It is usually an understorey plant in well developed rainforest, especially along creek banks in deep sheltered gullies where there is good drainage and a plentiful supply of fresh water, but is occasionally found in more exposed situations.

[5][7][15] The starchy rhizomes are eaten after long processing to remove toxins, used to perfume coconut oil, to flavour rice and to produce an intoxicating drink.