Colysis C. Presl; Dendroglossa C. Presl; Gymnopteris C. Presl (1836), not Bernhardi (1799); Myuropteris C. Christensen.

Plants epilithic, terrestrial, or epiphytic, sometimes low climbing, small to medium-sized, with long creeping rhizome; scales pseudopeltate or peltate, dark brown, ovate-lanceolate, clathrate or subclathrate, margin entire or toothed, apex acuminate. Fronds remote, articulate, monomorphic or dimorphic; lamina simple, entire, palmately lobed, digitate, pinnatifid, or pinnate with pinnae adnate to rachis, herbaceous to thinly leathery; veins anastomosing, secondary veins prominent, almost reaching margin; usually 1 or 2, sometimes more, rows of areoles between adjacent secondary veins, with ex- or recurrent free veins; fertile fronds similar to sterile ones or sometimes much contracted with lamina ± absent. Sori usually between adjacent secondary veins, orbicular or elongate to linear, sometimes sporangia acrostichoid; spores hyaline to light brown, ellipsoid, aperture 1/4-3/4 of spore length; surface shallowly tuberculate, usually plane with abundant spherical deposits, sometimes with short echinate elements. n = 36, 2n = 72, 108, 144, 216.

Most species have linear sori on tertiary veins parallel to secondary veins, or orbicular to elongate sori in Leptochilus hemionitideus. The delimitation between Colysis and Leptochilus is not obvious, and the two genera were merged by Nooteboom (Blumea 42: 261-294. 1997).

About 25 "indistinct" species: Asia; 13 species (two endemic) in China.

(Authors: Zhang Xianchun (张宪春); Hans P. Nooteboom)