It belongs to the Dryopteridaceae Family, with the Latin name of Sorolepidium glaciale.ª¥

The perennial herb can attain the height up to 10 to 30 centimeters. The short rhizome grows upright or slanting. There are imbricate squamae borne on the surface of petioles and rachises. The brown squamae have serrulate eyelashes on edges and turn pale when aged. It bears linear leaf blade, lance-shaped, with a short stipe. The sori are round in shape without cover and located in a single row respectively on both sides of the principal vein.     

It mainly grows in cold deserts on mountains and is usually found growing sparsely in gaps between broken stones on edges of glaciers or near snow lines. In warm season (July to August), it can grow rapidly in a short time after defrosting of the earth surface.

It's sparsely distributed in mountainous areas adjacent to Tibet Autonomous Region, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. It's a special species of China and of significant value for scientific research.