From the Greek sphaeros (a sphere), and stephanos (a crown or wreath), in reference to the abundant, spherical glands on the indusia of the type species.

Sphaerostephanos polycarpus (Blume) Copel.

Terrestrial or rarely (not in Australia) epiphytic. Rhizome erect, or prostrate and short- or rarely long-creeping; scales narrow, with both marginal and superficial, acicular hairs. Fronds 1-pinnate. Pinnae ±deeply lobed; 2–12 basal pairs abruptly, or in a few species (not in Australia) progressively much-reduced; aerophores at bases of pinnae often swollen on living fronds; lower surface between veins not pustular when dried, usually bearing acicular hairs; upper surface glabrous or rarely with antrorse acicular hairs; brownish orange or yellow often opaque sessile spherical glands usually present on the lower surface (rarely on upper surface); at least 1 pair of basal veins anastomosing, or rarely (not in Australia) meeting at, or just beyond, the sinus membrane. Sori round, or (not in Australia) rarely elongate or intermediate in shape, indusiate or rarely (not in Australia) exindusiate; indusium bearing sessile glands like those of the lamina and/or acicular or gland-tipped hairs; sporangia commonly bearing a (sub)sessile spherical gland or rarely (not in Australia) short setae near the annulus and a gland-tipped hair on the stalk. Spores mostly pale brown, echinate or winged.

n = 36, R.E. Holttum, Flora Malesiana ser. II, 1(5): 437 (1981).

As construed here, this genus comprises c. 185 species, more than any other in this family in the Old World, the great majority (c. 150) being confined to Malesia; two widespread species extend to Australia.

The type species has elongate sori, but J.Smith (Historia Filicum 210, 1875), noted that in other respects it is not distinct from species which he included in Nephrodium. Later authors continued to recognise this genus in a narrow sense (in some cases under the name Mesochlaena ) as characterised solely by elongate sori. However, the species thus distinguished do not form a natural group.

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 48 (1998), a product of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia