Asplenium melanolepis Franchet & Savatier, Enum. Pl. Jap. 2: 226, 625. 1879; Athyrium filix-femina (Linnaeus) Roth subsp. melanolepis (Franchet & Savatier) Á. Löve & D. Löve; A. filix-femina var. melanolepis (Franchet & Savatier) Makino; A. filix-femina var. nigropaleaceum Makino.

Rhizomes erect or ascending. Fronds caespitose; fertile fronds 70-100 cm; stipe blackish brown at base, upward stramineous, 25-35 cm, base ca. 4 mm in diam., densely clothed with black, lanceolate thickly membranous scales, upward with sparse black, shiny, ovate-lanceolate thickly membranous scales; lamina 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, oblong, 60-65 × 20-25 cm at middle, base gradually narrowed, apex acuminate; pinnae ca. 22 pairs, basal pinnae subopposite, upper pinnae alternate, ascending, subsessile, basal 2-6 pairs of pinnae gradually shortened, basal pinnae 4-5 cm; middle pinnae linear-lanceolate, 17-19 × 2.5-3 cm, base equilateral, rounded-truncate, pinnate-pinnatifid, apex long acuminate; pinnules ca. 22 pairs, subopposite, subspreading, broadly lanceolate, 1.2-1.5 cm × ca. 4 mm at base, base rounded-cuneate, slightly adnate to costa, pinnatipartite to 2/3, apex acute; pinnule segments rectangular, oblique, apex obtuse-rounded and with 3-5 teeth; veins inconspicuous adaxially, visible abaxially, 1 or 2 pairs per segment, simple. Lamina herbaceous when dried, pale greenish brown, glabrate on both surfaces; rachis and costae on abaxial surface stramineous, rarely with brown lanceolate small scales. Sori oblong or J-shaped, inframedial, on basal acroscopic veins (but often 2 or 3 in basal pinnule segments), 5-7 pairs per pinnule, biseriate on both sides of costules; indusia brown, oblong or J-shaped, membranous, somewhat eroselike at margin, persistent. Perispore surface without folds. 2n = 80.

Forests, rare. Heilongjiang, Jilin [Japan, Korea].