Fronds simple or to 1–4-pinnate, sometimes dimorphic, vernation circinate; veins free or anastomosing.
Sori either covering the surface of the fertile pinnae or submarginal, true indusium absent, but a false indusium formed by the recurved margin of the lamina present.
Pteridaceae now includes Adiantiaceae, Parkeriaceae, Platyzomataceae, Sinopteridaceae, and Vittariaceae, following the expanded family circumscription adopted by the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group (PPG1 2016).
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Sori enclosed by strongly revolute margins of the pinna, the fronds long and narrow, rhizomes hairy (P. platyzomopsis) | Pteris |
| Sori marginal or superficial, margins of fronds recurved by never strongly revolute, rhizomes sometimes hairy | 2 |
| 2 | Leaves simple, linear, rhizome scales clathrate | 3 |
| Leaves compound, rhizome scales not clathrate
Back to 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Sori superficial, spreading along anastomosing veins | Antrophyum |
| Sori marginal, in 2 longitudinal grooves
Back to 2 | Vittaria |
| 4 | Fronds simply pinnate | 5 |
| Fronds 2-pinnate, 2-pinnatifid or more divided
Back to 2 | 7 |
| 5 | Pinnae leathery, veins not readily visible; sori continuous in broad bands along each margin of the pinna | Pellaea |
| Pinnae membranous to leathery, veins visible, sori continuous or discontinuous, in narrow bands or continuous across whole lower surface of fertile pinna
Back to 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Sporangia covering the lower surface of the fertile pinnae; plants growing in brackish swamps | Acrostichum |
| Sporangia in lineaf, submarginal sori; plants not growing in brackish situations
Back to 5 | Pteris |
| 7 | Sori borne only on a reflexed modified flap of lamina (soral flap) | Adiantum |
| Sori superficial, marginal or submarginal, sometimes covered by a reflexed flap of lamina but not borne on that flap, or protected by a marginal indusium
Back to 4 | 8 |
| 8 | Rhizome and stipe spongy; sporangia solitary, in 2 marginal rows; aquatic and semi-aquatic ferns | Ceratopteris |
| 9
Back to | |
| 9 | Sori superficial, borne along the length of the veins, exindusiate | 10 |
| Sori marginal or submarginal, continuous or interupted
Back to | 11 |
| 10 | Lamina herbaceous to thinly coriaceous; abaxial surface usually with a white or golden yellow waxy coating | Pityrogramma |
| Lamina membraneous to thinly herbaceous; abaxial surface lacking a coloured waxy coating
Back to 9 | Anogramma |
| 11 | Ultimate segments usually more than 10 mm long; if less then fronds only once pinnate | Pellaea |
| Ultimate segments 8 mm or less long; fronds at least pinnate-pinnatifid
Back to 9 | Cheilanthes |
