Dryopteris leveillei Christ, Bull. Acad. Int. Géogr. Bot. 20: 176. 1909; D. izuensis Kodama; Leptogramma izuensis (Kodama) H. Itô; Thelypteris leveillei (Christ) C. M. Kuo.

Plants 45-100 cm tall. Rhizomes long creeping, including stipe bases with lanceolate hairy brown thick scales and grayish white acicular hairs. Fronds approximate; stipe 15-45 cm, bases brown, distally stramineous, with sparse short hairs or subglabrous; laminae oblong-lanceolate, 30-55 × 12-20 cm, abruptly tapering to bases, pinnate-pinnatifid, acuminate and pinnatifid at apices; pinnae 12-20 pairs, proximal ones usually opposite, spreading or sometimes reflexed; middle pinnae alternate, obliquely spreading; proximal pair clearly shortened, oblong-lanceolate, 2-4 × 1-1.5 cm, bases clearly tapering, apices shortly caudate-acuminate; second pair and more distal pinnae of similar length or slightly shortened; middle ones 7-13 × 1.5-2 cm, pinnatifid to 3/4 of distance to costae; segments 12-18 pairs, oblong or subelliptic, 6-8 × 4-5 mm, entire, rounded at apices. Veins evident abaxially, veinlets simple, 6-10 pairs per segment, proximal pairs arising above bases of costules and all reaching margins above sinus. Laminae herbaceous, brownish green after drying, abaxially with denser spreading grayish white acicular setae along costae and costules, slightly villous or glabrous on intercostal areas, adaxially with dense short hairs along costal grooves, sparsely shortly hairy along costules and with few long acicular hairs near apices, rachises with dense short acicular hairs on both sides and at intervals mixed with hooked thick long hairs, abaxially with brown aerophores. Sori small, orbicular, dorsifixed at middle of veinlets, 5-7 pairs per segment; sporangia each usually with 2 or 3 setae near top. Perispores irregularly spinulose, exospore smooth.

Cyclogramma leveillei is similar to C. omeiensis, both have been treated as one species in the past. However, the former species differs in having only the proximal pair of pinnae shortened, 2-4 cm, never auriculate, adaxial sides with only short acicular hairs along costae, abaxial sides with spreading acicular hairs, and everywhere without hooked hairs; and the sporangia each with 2 or 3 setae near tops. We conclude that it is appropriate to treat the two as distinct species.

Humus on rocks in forests; 600-2100 m. Fujian, N Guangdong, Guizhou, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Japan].