Each sorus of Dennstaedtia punctiloba is a cup-shaped structure on the margin of the blade. The leaves are relatively large, ranging from about 40 cm to over 1 meter in length and the blades are bipinnate-pinnatifid (nearly 3 times pinnate) with hairs on both surfaces. The fronds are not strongly clumped, tending to be spread out along horizontal stems.

The main range of Dennstaeditia punctiloba is in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S., west to southern Illinois and south to northern Alabama and Georgia. A few scattered locations are known from farther west including Michigan and there is one documented location in Wisconsin, in Dane County. Habitats include both forested and sunny sites and this species is sometimes considered aggressive or weedy in the main part of its range.