Aspidium otaria Kunze ex Mettenius; Athyrium cumingianum (C. Presl) Ching; A. otaria (Kunze ex Mettenius) Posthumus; Dryopteris otaria (Kunze ex Mettenius) Kuntze; Nephrodium otarium (Kunze ex Mettenius) Baker.

Rhizomes short, erect, densely clothed with brown lanceolate scales at apex. Fronds caespitose; fronds 27-70 cm; stipe upward stramineous, 12-45 cm, base 2-2.5 mm in diam., densely scaly, upper part glabrate; lamina imparipinnate or nearly so, broadly ovate or oblong, 15-25 × ca. 10 cm at middle, thinly papery when dried, base subtruncate or rounded-cuneate, apex acuminate; terminal pinna similar to lateral pinnae, lateral pinnae 4-8 pairs, stalked, falcate, lanceolate, 6-10 × 1.5-2 cm, base rounded-cuneate, margin shallowly lobed or serrate, apex acuminate; segments triangular, with several sharp teeth at apex; veins free, pinnate in segment, lateral veins 4 or 5 pairs, simple, reaching teeth, basal 1 or 2 pairs of veins reaching segment sinuses, often connecting to form rhomboid areoles. Lamina glabrate adaxially, costae and midribs abaxially with sparse brown small scales and pale short glandular hairs. Sori 3 or 4(or 5) pairs per segment, orbicular, inframedial; indusia brown, orbicular-reniform, membranous, ciliate at margin, fugacious. Perispore with lophate ridges, sometimes connected and reticulate or ornate. 2n = 80, 160.

Damp areas in evergreen forests, limestone rocks; 400-1000 m. S and SW Taiwan (Pingdong, Tainan), S Yunnan [S India, Indonesia (Java), Laos, S Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka].