Description from
Flora of China
Rhachidosorus subfragilis Ching.
Rhizome erect; fronds caespitose. Fertile frond up to 1.6 m; stipe castaneous-brown at base, upward stramineous, shiny, up to 70 cm, base with dense brown lanceolate scales, upward glabrous; lamina 2- or 3-pinnate with pinnules or secondary pinnules pinnatilobate, deltoid, up to 1 m × 80 cm, glabrous, acuminate at apex; pinnae up to 20 pairs, all stalked, stalk of lower pinnae ca. 2 cm, slightly ascending, basal 2 pairs of pinnae largest, broadly lanceolate or narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, up to 40 ´ 14 cm, base ± symmetrical, apex acuminate, shortly caudate; upper pinnae lanceolate; pinnules up to 15 pairs, alternate, spreading, up to 10 ´ 3 cm, with stalk ca. 4 mm, narrowly winged, pinnules on basiscopic side longer than acroscopic, apex shortly acuminate to rounded; pinnule lobes up to ca. 10 pairs, oblong or ovate, up to 15 × 8 mm, pinnatilobate to pinnatifid with 4 or fewer lobes, apex rounded or truncate and entire or slightly repand. Veins prominent on abaxial side, pinnate, veinlets 1 or 2 pairs in ultimate lobes, mostly simple, occasionally forked. Lamina green abaxially, usually brown adaxially, herbaceous when dry, rachis and costae pale stramineous, shiny. Sori and indusia lunate, usually 1 per lobe, costular. Perispore with dense irregular warty ornamentation.
● Under bushes, calcareous rock crevices; 600-1500 m. Guangxi (Napo), Guizhou (Anlong, Ceheng, Libo), Yunnan (Maguan, Malipo, Xichou).