Rhizome ascending, clad in dark paleae, invested by bases of fallen tufted stipites. Stipes slender, smooth to asperous, 5-15 cm. long, blackish brown towards base, elsewhere brown. Rhachis smooth to asperous, slender, pale brown, with up to 30 subopp., rather distant pinnae. Lamina lanceolate to linear-oblong, caudate, membr. to subcoriac., rather pale green. Barren laminae c. 15. × 2-3-(8) cm., ± decumbent. Fertile laminae 20-40 × 3-5 cm., erect. Pinnae dentate-serrate. Pinnae of barren fronds: lower c. 10 × 5 mm., stalked, ovate, auriculately lobed at base: mid 10-15 cm. × 5-10 mm., oblong, stalked, auriculate or not: upper smaller, subsessile to sessile and decurrent: terminal seg. c. 5 × 1 cm., oblong. Pinnae of fertile laminae linear to linear-lanceolate, auriculate at base, up to 25 × 3 mm., in distant pairs. Terminal seg. linear, up to 15 cm. long. Sori in a single row, discrete to approximate or ± confluent, c. 2 mm. long.

Vegetative reproduction by short branching of the rhizome, but rare in field grown material. Rhizome clad in brown paleae. Fertile and sterile fronds dimorphic. Fertile fronds erect, sterile fronds more or less prostrate, smaller, with pinnae shorter and broader. Fronds more or less submembranous, softer than those of D. media ssp. australis; lamina c. 8-26 cm long. Stipes bearing sparse light brown scales which fall with age. Rachis without scales; pubescent. Lower and middle pinnae almost invariably auriculate, attached to rachis by costae only; upper adnate to decurrent. Pinnae c. 11-20 pairs or subopposite; middle pinnae rounded at apex. Terminal pinna 0.7-2.5 cm long (1/9-1/30 frond length). Longest pinnae 0.8-3.0 (-3.5) cm long; 1.5-3 mm wide. Distance between middle pinnae 5-18 mm (2.5 — 12 × pinna width). Sori in one row, confluent, very rarely discrete when growing in dense shade, sometimes covering not only the midrib but also the entire undersurface of the pinna. Indusium at least 2 mm long, linear.