Hicriopteris C. Presl.

Rhizomes slender, long creeping, covered with multicellular hairs. Fronds distant, erect or somewhat scandent; rachis often several times dichotomously branched with dormant buds in dichotomies, with normal pinnules only at apex, each dichotomy usually with a pair of lateral pinnae, these shallowly to more usually deeply pectinately pinnatifid; dormant apical buds covered with stiff hairs, usually subtended by stipulelike bracts; ultimate pinnae deeply pectinately pinnatifid, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, sessile; lobes horizontally spreading, margin entire or rarely crenate, often narrowly revolute; most veins 2- or 3-forked with (3 or)4-6 veinlets. Sori orbicular, exindusiate, in 1(-3) line on each side of costule; sporangia 6-18, sessile; spores tetrahedral [or ellipsoid], without perispore, smooth.

About ten species: mainly in tropical and subtropical areas; five species (two endemic) in China.

(Authors: Ding Bingyang (丁炳扬), Jin Xiaofeng (金孝锋); Kunio Iwatsuki)