Plants medium-sized, terrestrial or creeping on rocks or small trees. Rhizome with peltate scales, dorsiventral, long creeping, or short and erect, sometimes bearing stolons or tubers, dictyostelic. Fronds distant or tufted, shortly to long stipitate; lamina lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, pinnate; pinnae glabrous or sometimes finely hairy; veins forked, free, ending in submarginal hydathodes. Sori orbicular, terminal on a veinlet, dorsal; indusium orbicular-reniform, often with a narrow sinus, or lunulate, broadly attached. Spores monolete.

Ching Ren-chang, Fu Shu-hsia, Wang Chu-hao & Shing Gung-hsia. 1959. Nephrolepis. In: Ching Ren-chang, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 2: 313-318, 378; Wu Shiewhung. 1999. Nephrolepidaceae (excluding Arthropteris). In: Wu Shiewhung, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 6(1): 143-150.

One genus and ca. 20 species: most tropical regions of the world; five species (one introduced) in China.

(Authors: Xing Fuwu (邢福武), Wang Faguo (王发国); Peter H. Hovenkamp)