Polypodium lineare N. L. Burman var. contortum Christ, Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital., n.s., 4: 98. 1897; Lepisorus crassirhizoma Ching & Z. Y. Liu; L. jinfoshanensis Ching & Z. Y. Liu; Pleopeltis contorta (Christ) Alston & Bonner; Polypodium contortum (Christ) Christ; P. lineare f. contortum (Christ) Takeda.

Plants 10-25 cm tall. Rhizomes long and creeping, 1.5-2.5 mm in diam., densely scaly when young, rhizome later naked; scales pale brown with narrow dark opaque central band, lanceolate, 2-4 × 0.6-1.5 mm, polished, margins entire or serrate. Fronds 0.5-2 cm apart; stipe normally straw-colored, less often brown, (1-)2-5(-6) cm, 0.8-1.5 mm in diam.; lamina abaxially grayish yellow-green, adaxially greenish, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, (9-)15-25 × 0.4-1.5 cm, widest at middle, softly thinly leathery, base cuneate, decurrent, margin revolute when dried, apex shortly acuminate; costa raised on both sides, veinlets obscure. Sori restricted to distal 1/2, slightly closer to costa, orbicular or slightly ovate; paraphyses brown at center, orbicular, 0.3-0.5 mm in diam., lumina dense, thick, opaque or transparent.

On tree trunks or rocks in forests; (700-)2000-3500 m. Anhui, Chongqing, ?Fujian, Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, ?Zhejiang [Bhutan, N India, Nepal].