In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is the only genus in the family Davalliaceae, which is placed in the suborder Polypodiineae, order Polypodiales.

[3] Species are epiphytic ferns, with fronds arising from long aerial rhizomes which grow on and over thick bark on trees or on rock crevices.

[7] In 2008, a molecular phylogenetic study of Davalliaceae showed that none of the polyspecific genera recognized at that time were monophyletic.

Based on molecular phylogenetic studies, the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I) accepts only one genus in the family, Davallia, sinking the other genera into synonymy.

Didymochlaenaceae Hypodematiaceae Dryopteridaceae Nephrolepidaceae Lomariopsidaceae Tectariaceae Oleandraceae Davalliaceae Polypodiaceae Many of the species of Davallia are closely related and hard to distinguish from each other.

[1] Davalliaceae is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific, Australia, Asia, and Africa.

[16] D. fejeensis is the most common Davallia species in commerce, and D. canariensis is widely grown as a house plant.

Davallia are often used in hanging baskets because the rhizomes split into sections and the surface is covered quickly.