Alsophila verruculo-spinula Y. K. Yang, Z. Y. Yu & Y. H. Li; Cyathea chinensis Copeland; C. yunnanensis Domin.

Trunk up to 5 m or more, 15-30 cm in diam. Stipe red-brown toward base, up to 45 cm, minutely spiny or warty; scales at base of stipes dark brown, lustrous, up to 2 cm × 1.5 mm, stiff, with fragile edges; lamina 3-pinnate, up to 2 × 1 m; pinnae ca. 15 pairs, lanceolate, up to 60 × 17 cm; abaxial side stramineous, warty and hairy to distal portion; adaxial side of costae sulcate, hirsute; pinnules up to 30 pairs, sessile, spreading, lanceolate, 6-10 × 1.3-2 cm, base cuneate or truncate, apex acuminate or caudate, ca. 1.5 cm apart, pinnatifid up to 2/3 or almost to costules; both sides of costules with soft, curled, pale brown hairs, and with thick pale brown bullate scales also on midveins; segments of pinnules oblong, margin crenate, base connate, lateral veins up to 13 pairs, forked, rarely simple or 3-forked. Lamina papery, abaxially pale green, adaxially deep green; abaxial side of midveins of sterile pinnules normally with some small pale bullate scales. Sori 3-6 pairs at forks of lateral veinlets, close to midvein; indusia membranous, at base of sorus on midvein side, lateral, reflexed and covering midvein when mature; paraphyses longer than sporangia.

Ravine forests; 700-2100 m. W Guangxi, SE Xizang, S and SW Yunnan [Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Vietnam].