Phegopteris flagellaris Maximowicz ex Makino, Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 9: 181. 1895; Monachosorella flagellaris (Maximowicz ex Makino) Hayata; M. flagellaris var. nipponicum (Makino) Tagawa; M. nipponicum (Makino) Hayata; Monachosorum kweichowense Ching; M. nipponicum Makino; Polystichum flagellare (Maximowicz ex Makino) C. Christensen.

Plants evergreen, medium-sized. Rhizome shortly creeping, ascending, with minute hairs, bearing fronds radially. Stipe brownish in lower part, stramineous in upper part, 6-30 cm, with minute transparent hairs; lamina green when fresh, 2- or 3-pinnate, broadly subtriangular-lanceolate, 20-60 × 7-24 cm, thinly herbaceous, abaxially minutely pubescent, adaxially glabrous; rachis elongate, bearing buds at apex; pinnae 25-40 pairs, shortly stalked; lower pinnae 2-pinnate, large, linear-lanceolate, 5-15 × 1.5-4 cm; pinnules 10-16 pairs, with very short stalk, obliquely oblong; middle pinnules catadromous, large, 8-20 × 4-10 mm, margin deeply dentate to pinnatisect, apex acute or moderately so. Sori orbicular, medial or submarginal.

Usually on rocky ground or on rocks, often in colonies, in valley forests by streams; 600-1500 m. Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan [Japan].