Diplazium epirachis Christ, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 52(Mém. 1): 51. 1905; Athyrium eremicola Oka & Kurata; A. lilacinum Ching; A. muticum Christ; A. subcoriaceum Ching; A. wardii (Hooker) Makino var. elongatum Christ.

Rhizomes short, erect, apex densely scaly; scales dark brown in central part, brownish in marginal part, linear-lanceolate, fibriform-tipped. Fronds caespitose; fertile fronds 30-80 cm; stipe blackish brown, upward brown-stramineous to pale purplish red, 18-25 cm, 2-3 mm in diam. at base, base similarly scaly, upward glabrate; lamina pinnate or 2-pinnate, oblong-lanceolate, 20-50 × 7-27 cm, apex acuminate; pinnae 20-22 pairs, alternate, subspreading, stalked (stalk ca. 1.5 mm), lanceolate, 4-14 × 1-3.5 cm, with acute long teeth at apex, base subequilateral, rounded-truncate, auriculate on acroscopic side, variably pinnatifid (up to 1/2-2/3 to costa) or pinnate; in 2-pinnate lamina, pinnules ca. 20 pairs, basal pinnules opposite, upper pinnules alternate, spreading, subsessile, suboblong, 1.2-1.8 cm × 5-7 mm, base inequilateral, rounded-cuneate and somewhat auriculate or not on acroscopic side, narrowly cuneate and decurrent on basiscopic side, margin crenate, apex obtuse or obtuse-rounded and toothed; veins inconspicuous adaxially, visible abaxially, pinnate in pinnules or segments, lateral veins 3-5 pairs, forked or simple, considerably oblique. Lamina thickly papery when dried, yellowish brown or greenish brown, glabrate on both surfaces; rachis and costae abaxially brown- or red-stramineous, purplish, with dense brown short glandular hairs, with subulate spines on adaxial side at base of costa or costule. Sori shortly linear or oblong, 1 per segment or 3-5 pairs per pinnule, costular or costal; indusia shortly linear or oblong, membranous, entire, persistent. Perispore surface without folds, with granular ornamentation. 2n = 80.

Evergreen broad-leaved forests, bamboo forests; 800-2000 m. Chongqing, Fujian, S Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, SW Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Taiwan (Taidong, Yilan), Yunnan [Japan].