Dichocoenia stokesii has irregular calyces and its form can be either a massive, hemispherical hump or a flat, platform-like structure.

Dichocoenia stokesi is a massive colonial coral that forms rounded humps up to 40 centimetres (16 in) in diameter or thick plates.

During the day, the coral's polyps are retracted but at night they emerge and the tentacles are extended to catch plankton and small invertebrates.

[4] Although Dichocoenia stokesi is susceptible to bleaching, it is considerably more tolerant of thermal stress than many other stony coral species.

In the Florida Keys in 1995 there was an epizootic of white plague type II and 75% of Dichocoenia stokesi colonies were killed.

[5] Because of its slow growth rate and low level of recruitment, recovery after this outbreak did not occur and the reef population seems to be permanently diminished.