Fronds 1–4-pinnate; lamina glabrous or sometimes with jointed hairs; rachis deeply grooved; veins free or anastomosing.
Sori linear and submarginal, true indusia absent, the recurved margin of the lamina forming a false indusium.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Fronds 1-pinnatifid to incompletely 2-pinnate | 2 |
| Fronds 3-pinnate or more compound | 6 |
| 2 | Fronds linear, long and narrow; sori enclosed by revolute pinna margins; rhizome hairy | Pteris platyzomopsis |
| Fronds ovate, elliptic, or obovate; sori exposed, pinna margins plane; rhizome hairy or not
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Pinnae decreasing in size towards the the frond base; fronds 1-pinnate | Pteris vittata |
| Pinnae increasing in size toward the frond base; fronds subpedate to 1-pinnatifid to incompletely 2-pinnate; primary pinnae increasing in size towards the base of the frond
Back to 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Lamina of terminal pinna decurrent down rachis and fused with lamina of adjacent lateral pinna; fronds pinnatifid to incompletely 2-pinnate | 5 |
| Terminal pinna stalked, lamina distinct and not fused with adjacent lateral pinna; fronds often with lowermost pair of pinna with a basiscopic pinnule
Back to 3 | Pteris nipponica |
| 5 | Fronds to 35 cm long, lowermost primary pinnae to 16 cm long; pinnae stalked except the uppermost, rachis unwinged | Pteris ensiformis |
| Fronds at least 60 cm long, lowermost primary pinnae at least 10–30 cm long; pinnae confluent onto rachis in upper third of frond, rachis there continuously or nearly continuously winged
Back to 4 | Pteris umbrosa |
| 6 | Fronds pale green with a brown rachis, the veins free | Pteris tremula |
| Fronds dark green with a yellowish rachis; the veins reticulate
Back to 1 | 7 |
| 7 | Tertiary pinnules on sterile fronds 4–6(-7) mm wide; terminal pinnules on fertile fronds 8–18(-25) mm long, generally more finely divided than Pteris microptera | Pteris comans |
| Tertiary pinnules on sterile fronds 5–10 mm wide; terminal pinnules on fertile fronds, 12–45 mm long, generally less finely divided and more robust than Pteris comans
Back to 6 | Pteris microptera |
