It is a terrestrial fern  in understory of montane rainforest  with a rhizome creeping, with tufted leaves. Leaves rigid, subcoriaceous, petiole stramineous,up to 82 cm long, with dense ferrougineous  to brown scales, lamina 4-pinnate-pinnatifid, up to 6 63 cm long, eglandular, basalpinnae, hardly reduced rhachis stramineous, with few hair-like scales, sori-rounded, indusial kdney shaped.

The rhizomes of Dryopteris kilemensis are traditionally used as a remedy against tapeworms.