Plants in loose mats, slender, often branching, greenish-brown. Stems to 3.0 cm in length, rounded-pentagonal in section, central strand lacking, sclerodermis strong, hyalodermis distinct, collapsed; axillary hairs of ca. 6 cells, basal 2 firm-walled, yellowish. Leaves distant, appressed and flexuose when dry, spreading-recurved when moist, distinctly trifarious, oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, to 2.5 mm in length, carinate above; apex narrowly acute, usually ending in a long, pellucid cell or fine apiculus; margins weakly recurved below, decurrent, distantly dentate in the upper 1/3; base ovate in shape; upper laminal cells rounded-quadrate to short-rectangular, 9–12 µm in width, 1(–2):1; costa subpercurrent to percurrent, cells elongate and smooth ventrally and dorsally, ca. 4 cells across surface ventrally, with two stereid bands, the dorsal crescent-shaped, lacking differentiated epidermal cells on both sides of the costa, guide cells ca. 4(–6) in one row, hydroid strand absent; upper laminal papillae simple to bifid, spiculate or scablike, several scattered over each lumen; walls thin or collenchymatous, superficially flat; basal cells quadrate to short-rectangular and chlorophyllose to abruptly enlarged and hyaline medially, little wider than the upper cells, to 1–4:1, bordered marginally by several rows of quadrate to short-rectangular cells. Propagula occasionally present, borne on the stem, cylindrical, 70–120 µm in length, of ca. 3–5 uniseriate cells, occasionally with longitudinal internal walls, dark brownish green excepting a single transparent basal stalk cell.
Dioicous. Perichaetia terminal, perichaetial leaves to 6 mm in length, long-sheathing, concealing most or all of the seta; perigonia lateral on the stem, gemmate. Seta short, to 2.0 mm in length, brown, twisted clockwise; theca short-elliptical to ovoid, brown, wide-mouthed, 1.0–1.2 mm in length, without stomata; exothecial cells 33–40 µm in width, relatively short, 2:1, walls thickened; annulus 2–4 cells in height, vesiculose, persistent; operculum conic-rostrate, ca. 0.5 mm in length, cells in straight rows; peristome teeth 16, inserted below the annulus, straight or somewhat twisted clockwise, criss-crossing perpendicularly when dry, forming an open cone or dome when moist, to 500 µm in length, yellow, cleft to base in (2–)3–4 linear to filiform rami, variously weakly fused below, indistinctly spirally striate, with 7–11 articulations. Calyptra cucullate, smooth, ca. 2 mm in length. Spores 15–20 µm in diameter, lightly papillose. Laminal KOH color reaction yellow to yellow-orange.