Plants medium-sized, terrestrial. Rhizomes short and erect or ascending, with sparse scales; scales ovate-oblong or lanceolate, reddish brown, hairy. Fronds clustered; stipes deep stramineous, with sparse scales proximally, throughout with grayish white, mostly unicellular acicular long hairs and unicellular short setae; laminae oblong, hastate, or lanceolate, pinnate-pinnatifid; pinnae 7 or 8 pairs (or more), oblique or spreading, lanceolate, bases rounded or truncate, symmetrical, usually sessile, apices obtuse or acuminate; proximal 1 or 2 pairs or several pairs of pinnae free, distally ± adnate to rachises, proximal pair not or slightly shortened, sometimes prolonged, costae grooved adaxially, pinnae pinnatifid and usually reaching 1/2-2/3 of distance to costae; segments orbicular or oblong, entire and rounded at apices. Veinlets free, 3-6 pairs per segment, not forked, reaching margins, rarely reaching sinus. Laminae herbaceous or papery, when dry dark brown or brownish green, usually with acicular hairs or short setae on both surfaces, or with both mixed. Sori elongate, borne along veinlets, length slightly shorter than veinlets, exindusiate; sporangia each with 2-6 erect setae at top; spores bilateral, reniform, echinate on surfaces. x = 36.

"Leptogramma intermedia" (Ching in C. F. Zhang, Fl. Zhejiang 1: 154. 1993) was not validly published because no Latin description or diagnosis, or reference to such, was provided (Melbourne Code, Art. 39.1). It does not appear to represent a distinct species.

About 15 species: tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, west to Africa; nine species (six endemic) in China.

(Authors: Lin Youxing (林尤兴); Kunio Iwatsuki)