Pellaea squamosa C. Hope & C. H. Wright, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 35: 518. 1903; Cheilanthes hopeana C. Christensen; Doryopteris squamosa (C. Hope & C. H. Wright) C. Christensen.

Rhizomes erect, short; scales bicolorous, black, with light brown margins, lanceolate. Fronds clustered. Stipe 5-15 cm, chestnut-colored, densely covered with light brown, broadly lanceolate, often slightly bicolorous scales, becoming sparsely scaly with age. Lamina brownish green, pentagonal, nearly as long as broad, 5-10 cm, 3-pinnatipartite, thickly papery when dry, abaxially with snow-white farina and membranous, translucent, light brown, broadly lanceolate scales with margins erose-serrulate, adaxially glabrous, apex shortly acuminate. Pinnae 5-7 pairs, connected by a narrow wing; basal pair largest, subtriangular, 4-5 cm, obliquely spreading upward, 2-pinnatipartite; pinnules 4-6 pairs, proximal basiscopic pinnule largest, 3-3.5 × 1-1.5 cm, obliquely spreading; ultimate segments 3 or 4 pairs, 3-8 × ca. 2 mm; second and upper pairs of pinnae gradually shortened distally, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, pinnatipartite, base decurrent and connected to rachis by broad wings, apex shortly acute. Sori consisting of few sporangia. False indusia continuous, narrow, membranous, margins entire.

Aleuritopteris squamosa is quite distinct and is distinguished from other species of the genus with pentagonal fronds by the presence of scales on abaxial lamina, which also has dense, snow-white farina.

● Rock crevices or under shrubs in dry hot valleys; 400-1000 m. Hainan, S Yunnan.