It reaches a height of roughly 2 meters, with a dark, hairy, scaly trunk.

Each leaf also divides only twice (bipinnate): There are two natural Mauritian varieties, which occur mainly in the upland forest in the higher parts of the island, and are both endangered.

There is one natural Reunionese variety: In Mauritius, they share the island with several other tree ferns - the naturally occurring Mauritian species Alsophila grangaudiana and Alsophila celsa - and the alien non-indigenous Sphaeropteris cooperi which is introduced from its native Australia.

In Réunion, they share the island with the naturally occurring Réunionese species Alsophila glaucifolia and Alsophila celsa - and also with the introduced Sphaeropteris cooperi.

[2] Alsophila borbonica can be distinguished from all of these other species by its small stipe and by its fronds' two-level division.