Leptochilus is a fern genus in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I).
Taxonomy A molecular phylogenetic study of the subfamily Microsoroideae in 2019 suggested that the genus was monophyletic, being sister to Microsorum, together forming one of the three main clades in the subfamily:
Species The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I) suggests that the genus contains about 10 species. , the Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World noted that the species circumscription was "fairly controversial and fluctuating", and accepted 34 species and hybrids:
Leptochilus axillaris (Cav.) Kaulf. Leptochilus bolsteri (Copel.) Parris Leptochilus cantoniensis (Baker) Ching Leptochilus chilangensis (V.N.Tu) Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang Leptochilus chingii Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang Leptochilus chittagongensis Fraser-Jenk. & Gias Leptochilus decurrens Blume Leptochilus digitatus (Baker) Noot. Leptochilus dissimilialatus (Bonap.) Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang Leptochilus dolichopterus (Copel.) Fraser-Jenk. & Amoroso Leptochilus ellipticus (Thunb.) Noot. Leptochilus evrardii (Tardieu) Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang Leptochilus flexilobus (Christ) Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang Leptochilus fluviatilis (Lauterb.) Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang Leptochilus hemionitideus (C.Presl) Noot. Leptochilus henryi (Baker) X.C.Zhang Leptochilus heterophyllus (S.K.Wu & P.K.Lôc) comb. ined. Leptochilus insignis (Blume) Fraser-Jenk. Leptochilus lanceolatus Fée Leptochilus leveillei (Ching) X.C.Zhang Leptochilus macrophyllus (Blume) Noot. Leptochilus mengsongensis M.X.Zhao Leptochilus minor Fée Leptochilus morsei (Ching) Fraser-Jenk. Leptochilus × nepalensis Fraser-Jenk. Leptochilus oblongus Li Bing Zhang, Liang Zhang & N.T.Lu Leptochilus pedunculatus (Hook. & Grev.) Fraser-Jenk. Leptochilus pentaphyllus (Baker) Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang Leptochilus poilanei (C.Chr. & Tardieu) Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang Leptochilus pothifolius (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) Fraser-Jenk. Leptochilus pteropus (Blume) Fraser-Jenk. Leptochilus saxicola (H.G.Zhou & Hua Li) Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang Leptochilus × shintenensis (Hayata) Nakaike Leptochilus wrightii (Hook.) X.C.Zhang Leptochilus yangjiangensis Zhou, H. J (2026)Zhou, H. J., Wang, T., Huang, Y., Zhang, B., Chen, G. D., Chen, H. F., & Wang, F. G. (2026). Leptochilus yangjiangensis (Polypodiaceae), a new fern species from Guangdong, China. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73621
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