Asplenium nephrodioides Baker, J. Bot. 25: 170. 1887; ?Athyrium filix-femina (Linnaeus) Roth var. filipes Christ.

Rhizomes short, erect, apex densely clothed with chestnut-brown, subulate-lanceolate scales. Fronds caespitose; fertile fronds 45-55 cm; stipe chestnut-black at base, upward brown-stramineous, 10-15 cm, base ca. 2.5 mm in diam., similarly densely scaly, upward glabrate; lamina bipinnatipartite, linear-lanceolate, 35-55 × 11-14 cm, base narrowed, apex acuminate; pinnae 20-25 pairs, alternate, spreading or subascending, widely separated from each other, sessile, lower 6 or 7 pairs of pinnae gradually shortened and narrowly triangular, basal pinnae 1.7-2 cm; middle pinnae linear-lanceolate, 6-9 × 1-1.2 cm, base subtruncate or slightly auriculate on basiscopic side, pinnatipartite nearly to costae, apex long acuminate; pinna segments 20-25 pairs, basal segments opposite, upper segments alternate, subspreading, narrowly separated from each other, oblong, 4-6 × ca. 2 mm, apex obtuse or acute and toothed; veins inconspicuous adaxially, visible abaxially, pinnate in segments, lateral veins 4 or 5 pairs, oblique, forked or simple. Lamina firmly papery when dried, yellowish brown, glabrate on both surfaces; rachis brown-stramineous, with sparse few small scales, costae with sparse squarrose-glandular hairs abaxially. Sori elliptic or orbicular, 3-5 pairs per segment, often borne in all segments; indusia brownish, orbicular, J-shaped, or horseshoe-shaped, membranous, erose or ciliate at margin, partly caducous. Perispore surface without folds, but with granular ornamentation.

● Forests; 2500-3200 m. Gansu (Xinglong Shan), Hubei (Badong), Sichuan, Yunnan.