Plants mostly rupestral (on rocks or walls), medium-sized or small. Rhizomes shortly creeping or ascending, stout, dictyostelic, densely covered with large scales; scales persistent, light brown, lustrous, ovate-lanceolate or rarely linear-lanceolate, margin entire or seldom denticulate, apex acuminate. Fronds approximate or subclustered; stipe stramineous, base swollen into shuttle form and concealed in scales, with 2 vascular bundles, upward usually glabrous, pubescent, or glandular; lamina ovate-oblong to pentagonal-ovate, truncate at base, 3-pinnate to finely 4-pinnate-pinnatifid, anadromous, basal pinnae largest, upper ones gradually reduced, herbaceous or papery, both surfaces, rachises, and costules frequently covered with acicular and/or glandular hairs, rarely glabrous. Veins free, pinnate, branches simple or forked, ending at margin. Sori orbicular, located at middle of veinlets; indusia persistent, large, reniform or horseshoe-shaped, membranous, ± covered with acicular or glandular hairs, rarely glabrous. Spores ellipsoid, bearing prominent, inflated folds with papillate elements. x = 41, 40.

About 16 species: mainly in subtropical and warm-temperate regions of Asia and Africa; 12 species (eight endemic) in China.

(Authors: Zhang Gangmin (张钢民); Kunio Iwatsuki)