Litobrochia marginata (Bory) C. Presl; L. tripartita (Swartz) C. Presl; Pteris marginata Bory.

Plants more than 2 m tall. Rhizome erect, short, ca. 2 cm in diam., apex with gray-brown scales. Fronds clustered; stipe dark brown or straw-colored, 100-150 cm, ca. 1 cm in diam., glabrous; lamina with 3 1- or 2-pinnatipartite divisions, broadly ovate in outline, 80-100 × ca. 70 cm, central division oblong-ovate in outline, 80-100 × 25-30 cm, stalked (10-12 cm), lateral branches smaller, and basal ones usually again divided into 2 or 3 forks; pinnules 20-30 pairs, alternate or subopposite, oblique, shortly stalked, upper ones sessile; pinnules at base and apex slightly shorter, middle pinnules lanceolate, 15-21 × 4-5 cm, base rounded-truncate, pectinately divided and forming 2 broad wings of costule, apex acute and lanceolate-caudate (3-4 cm); segments 14-25 pairs, alternate, slightly oblique, 2-5 mm apart, falcate-lanceolate, 10-30 × 4-6 mm, base slightly enlarged, sterile margins serrate, apex mucronate or obtuse; terminal pinnule similar to middle lateral pinnae but stalked; costules abaxially convex, straw-colored, glabrous, shallowly grooved adaxially, with short spines on both sides; veinlets slender, conspicuous only abaxially, veinlets from adjacent segment anastomosing to form a series of narrow areoles along costa, veinlets further anastomosing to form a series of narrow polygonal areoles along costules; lamina brown-green, thinly papery when dried, glabrescent.

Knapp (Ferns Fern Allies Taiwan, 478. 2011) believes that the records from Taiwan were based on misidentifications of Pteris wallichiana.

Pteris blumeana C. Agardh (Recens. Spec. Pter. 22. 1839; P. quadriaurita Retzius var. blumeana (C. Agardh) C. B. Clarke), recorded from Yunnan.

Pteris hunanensis C. M. Zhang (in W. T. Wang et al., Keys Vasc. Pl. Wuling Mount. 562. 1995), described from Hunan. The image of the type shows a single incomplete frond probably belonging to P. sect. Pteris.

Pteris intromissa Christ (Philipp. J. Sci., C, 2: 173. 1907). As well as a number of collections from the Philippines, the protologue mentioned a collection by Henry from China ("Swatow"), but this collection has not been seen.

Pteris rufopilosa Ching & Y. X. Lin (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 22: 197. 1984), described from Xizang (Mêdog) and compared with P. austrosinica (Ching) Ching in the protologue.

Pteris shimenensis C. M. Zhang (in W. T. Wang et al., Keys Vasc. Pl. Wuling Mount. 561. 1995), described from Hunan.

Guangdong, Guangxi (Baise, Napo), Hainan (Lingshui), Hunan (Shimen), ?Taiwan [India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Africa, Australia, Madagascar, Pacific islands (Polynesia), South America (Brazil)].