Cyrtomium caryotideum (Wallich ex Hooker & Greville) C. Presl var. intermedium (Diels) C. Christensen; C. falcatum (Linnaeus f.) C. Presl var. acuminatum (Diels) C. Christensen; C. falcatum var. intermedium (Diels) C. Christensen; C. fortunei J. Smith f. intermedium (Tagawa) Ching; C. fortunei var. intermedium Tagawa; C. macrophyllum (Makino) Tagawa var. acuminatum (Diels) Tagawa; ?C. macrophyllum var. simadae Tagawa; C. mediocre Ching & K. H. Shing; C. muticum (Christ) Ching f. acuminatum (Diels) Ching; C. muticum f. intermedium (Diels) Ching; C. simile Ching; C. yamamotoi var. intermedium (Diels) Ching & K. H. Shing; Polystichum acuminatum (Diels) C. M. Kuo; P. falcatum Diels f. acuminatum Diels; P. falcatum f. intermedium Diels.

Plants 40-104 cm tall. Rhizome erect, densely covered with lanceolate blackish brown scales. Stipe stramineous, 22-30(-50) cm, 2-3 mm in diam. at base, densely scaly; scales blackish brown, or blackish brown with a brown edge, ovate or lanceolate, denticulate. Lamina ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 22-44(-54) × 12-18(-30) cm, base slightly contracted, 1-imparipinnate, apex obtuse; rachis with sparse, lanceolate, blackish brown or brown scales. Lateral pinnae 4-14 pairs, alternate, slightly ascendant, shortly stalked, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, ± falcate; middle pinnae 8-12(-17.5) × 3-3.6 cm, base rounded-cuneate or inequilateral and broadly cuneate, acroscopic margins with semicircular or acute auricles, margins entire or distally denticulate, apex acuminate or caudate; terminal pinna ovate or rhombic-ovate, forked or trifurcate, 8-12 × 6-8 cm; papery, glabrous on both surfaces; venation pinnate, slightly raised abaxially, indistinct adaxially, veinlets anastomosing to form 3 or 4 rows of areoles. Sori throughout abaxial surface of pinnae; indusia dark brown in center, margins with incised teeth. 2n = 123.

Cyrtomium yamamotoi is a sexual and apomictic species.

Forests; 400-2100 m. Anhui (Huangshan), Chongqing, S Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei (Jianshi, Junxian), Hunan (Dayong, Shimen), Jiangxi (Lushan), S Shaanxi, Sichuan, ?Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan].