Dryopteris esquirolii Christ, Bull. Acad. Int. Géogr. Bot. 17: 144. 1907; Cyclosorus esquirolii (Christ) C. M. Kuo; D. eberhardtii Christ; Thelypteris esquirolii (Christ) Ching.

Plants to 1.5 m tall. Rhizomes creeping. Fronds remote; stipes deep stramineous, glabrous above bases. Laminae broadly oblong-lanceolate, ca. 130 × 30 cm, tapering to bases, pinnate-pinnatifid, pinnatifid-acuminate at apices; pinnae proximal 9-11 pairs alternate, gradually reduced to triangular auricles, distal pairs alternate, sessile, spreading, lanceolate, 15-20 × 2-2.3 cm, bases rounded-truncate, symmetrical, pinnatifid nearly to costae, apices long caudate-acuminate; segments 30-35 pairs, spreading, lanceolate, 9-10 × 2.5-3 mm, entire, obtuse or acute at apices; proximal pair (particularly acroscopic one) clearly elongated. Veins visible, costae raised on both sides, 8-12 pairs of veinlets per segment, proximal pair arising from base of costules, acroscopic veinlet reaching bottom of sinus, basiscopic one reaching margin above sinus. Laminae dark green when dry, papery, glabrous on both surfaces of intercostal areas, abaxially acicular hairy along rachises and costae, adaxially densely appressed-setaceous along costal grooves, with 1 or 2 setae on veins and margins. Sori orbicular, attached on middle of veinlets, 10-12 pairs per segment; indusia orbicular-reniform, thickly membranous, brown, glabrous, persistent.

"Christella esquirolii" (H. Léveillé, Fl. Kouy-Tchéou, 474. 1915, nom. nud.) belongs here.

Thelypteris ×erubesquirolica W. C. Shieh & J. L. Tsai (J. Sci. Engin. 24: 7. 1987), described from Taiwan (Nantou), appears to be a presumed hybrid between Pseudocyclosorus esquirolii and Glaphyropteridopsis erubescens.

On rocks by streams in valleys, in bamboo by streams; 400-2100 m. Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [N India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand].