Nauman (1993) gives the following botanical description for Pteris cretica in the Flora of North America: Stems slender, creeping, sparingly scaly; scales dark brown to chestnut brown. Leaves clustered to closely spaced, to 1m. Petiole straw-coloured to light brown distally, darker proximally, 10-50cm, base sparsely scaly. Blade irregularly ovate, primarily and irregularly pedately divided, 10-30 × 6-25cm; rachis not winged; only terminal pinna decurrent on rachis. Pinnae 1-3 pairs, well separated, blade often 5-parted with terminal pinna and 2 lateral pairs of pinnae remaining green through winter, not articulate; sterile pinnae to 25 × 0.8-1.5cm, serrulate; fertile pinnae narrower than sterile pinnae, to ca. 11mm wide, spiny-serrate; base acute acroscopically and decurrent (sometimes narrowly and barely so) basiscopically, glabrous; proximal pinnae with 1 (rarely 2) basiscopic lobes. Veins free, simple or forked. Sori narrow, blade tissue exposed abaxially.

Webb et al. (1988) give the following botanical description in the Flora of New Zealand Series: Rhizomes short-creeping, scaly. Stipes 25-75 cm long, ± devoid of scales except at very base. Laminae ovate or broadly ovate, 20-40 × 10-30 cm, 1-pinnate or with lower pinnae forked. Primary pinnae in 2-7 pairs, widely spaced, linear, tapering to acute apices, entire or minutely crenate at apices, 12-27 × 0.8-1.8 cm; upper pinnae adnate; lower pinnae stalked. Sori occupying whole of both margins of pinnae except at apices, protected by reflexed margins.
P. cretica can be distinguished from native New Zealand ferns by its pinnate fronds with the lower pinnae often forked (Webb et al., 1988).

Valier (1995) writes that fronds of the Cretan brake can grow up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall with spores produced on separate fertile fronds; sterile fronds are noted to be wider. See Starr & Starr (2008) for images of this species from Hawai'i.

Pteris cretica commonly hybridises with P. irregularis in Hawai'i to form P. x hillebrandii (Valier, 1995). P. cretica var. albolineata Hooker, 1860 has also been described and possesses pinnae with a white or pale green longitudinal stripe along the middle (Nauman, 1993).

Pteris cretica is commonly grown as an ornamental species in pot plants and gardens (Stace, 2010).
Pteris ferns such as P. vittata and P. cretica have shown a remarkable ability to tolerate and accumulate high concentrations of arsenic as well as antimony (in Robinson, 2009) in their fronds. They have been used to remove arsenic from residential soils in Washington DC (Blaylock & Elless, 2007). This phytofiltration ability makes it capable of rapidly filtering arsenic from drinking water supplies (Elless et al., 2007).

In Hawai'i, Pteris cretica can be found in dry or wet forests up to an elevation of 3000 feet (915 m) (Valier, 1995).

Pteris cretica reproduces through spores and can be apogamous, skipping the sexual stage of gametophytes (Robinson, 2009).

Pteris cretica is grown as an ornamental in gardens (Stace, 2010).

Little is known about the potential impacts of Pteris cretica. On the British Isles it is considered a threat more so for its progressive radial expansion in range that has been apparent since 1930 rather than any potential ecological and economic impacts (Robinson, 2009). In the ecologically fragile limestone grottoes of Florida, P. cretica and a range of other invasive exotic species can be problematic to rare native species if facilitated by shady, humid conditions (Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 2010).

Preventative measures: There is little information available on the management of Pteris cretica. In Europe there are virtually no restrictions on the trade of alien fern species such as P. cretica, despite the well documented escape of some species into the wild (Robinson, 2009).
While not legally declared a pest plant in New Zealand and no restrictions on its growth and propagation, P. cretica has been listed as a \"Research Organism\" under the latest Auckland Regional Pest Management Strategy (Auckland Regional Council, 2007) requiring further research into its potential threat and dispersal pathways.