Etymology Stewartii is named for John Stuart, Earl of Bute (1713-1792)

Description Rhizome: erect, branching.
Frond: 100 cm high by 35 cm wide, deciduous, monomorphic, blade/stipe ratio: 2:1 to 3:1.
Stipe: grooved, scales dark brown, vascular bundles: 3-7 in a c-shaped pattern.
Blade: 2-pinnate, lanceolate, herbaceous to somewhat leathery, linear to ovate scales below, absent above.
Pinnae: 20 to 22 pair, subopposite, lowest pinnae anadromic; pinnules slightly pinnatifid at the base, the first lower pinnule of the lowest pinnae slightly longer than the upper pinnule, basal pinnules stalked; costae grooved above, continuous from rachis to costae; margins spiny; veins free, forked.
Sori: round, 1-2 mm, medial, on both sides of the costule, indusium: reniform, tan, at a sinus, sporangia: brown to black, maturity: late spring to summer.

Culture Habitat: in forests at mid to high elevations. Distribution: Himalayas: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal. Hardy to -20°C, USDA Zone 6.

Synonyms
Dryopteris odontoloma f. brevifolia Mehra & Khullar