Aspidium submembranaceum Hayata; Pleocnemia hamata Ching & Chu H. Wang; P. kwangsiensis Ching & Chu H. Wang; P. submembranacea (Hayata) Tagawa & K. Iwatsuki.

Rhizome prostrate; stipe (20-)60-100 cm; rhizome and basal stipe scales ca. 1.5 cm, 0.5-1 mm wide at base, margins entire. Lamina 3- or 4-pinnatifid, (50-)120-200 × (50-)100-130 cm; basal pinnae largest, 30-60 × 20-40 cm, basal basiscopic primary pinnule elongate, 20-30 cm; pinnules of middle pinnae lobed 1/2-2/3 toward costules, lobes entire or crenate at margin, sinuses between 2 lobes 1-2(-4) mm wide, with a triangular tooth in each sinus; lamina papery, veins along costae and those at base of costules anastomosing, other veins free; costules and veins with many orange cylindric glands on abaxial surface. Sori medial, dorsal on free veins; indusia absent or rarely present and persistent; perispore having a continuous wing with some cross wings. 2n = 82*.

Pleocnemia conjugata (Blume) C. Presl (Aspidium conjugatum Blume) was reported from Hong Kong (Holttum, 1974) and later also reported from Hainan (T. L. Wu et al., Fl. Guangdong 7: 248. 2006). While studying the specimens on which these reports were based, it was noticed that they belong to P. winitii. They were confused with P. conjugata due to the presence of indusia. The presence or absence of indusia in P. winitii does not appear to be constant; specimens are not always exindusiate. Besides a difference in the perispore, the stipe scales are the most obvious character to distinguish between P. winitii (entire scales) and P. conjugata (conspicuously dentate scales).

Forests; 100-1000 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [NE India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].