In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the suborder Aspleniineae.

[3] As of June 2023[update], Plants of the World Online continued to treat Physematium as a synonym of Woodsia.

Cystopteridaceae Rhachidosoraceae Diplaziopsidaceae Aspleniaceae Hemidictyaceae Thelypteridaceae Woodsiaceae Onocleaceae Blechnaceae Athyriaceae A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020 largely confirmed the position of the family.

[3] As of June 2023[update], World Ferns accepted three genera:[8] Species of Woodsia are native to northern North America and Eurasia, and further south in the east of Asia, from western mainland China to Taiwan.

Although the distributions overlap, species of Physematium generally have a more southern distribution, being found further south in North America and in northern South America as well as in Asia, with a few species in Africa and Madagascar.