The fronds grow out of the underground, root-like stem on long stalks. The triangular scales along the stem have a dark centre which is a diagnostic character for this species. The fronds are broad, triangular and 2- to 3-pinnate, growing up to 120 cm long in good conditions, and forming dense crowns that arch outwards.

Narrow Buckler fern (D carthusiana) has scale that a pale brown or with slight darker shadow in centre, growth form in more scattered fronds rather than dense tufts.  Immature Male ferns can have leaves that are more divided than adult ferns and can look like buckler-ferns.

Leaves more finely divided than male-fern; scales on stems with district dark zone in middle

A fern of moist woodlands, streams, waterfalls and pockets of deep leaf litter.

Shoots appear late April or May and die back in autumn

Deciduous

Common and widespread in Britain.

Frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 280 of the 617 tetrads.