Plants forming turf or loosely caespitose, green above, green or sometimes brown below. Stems often branching, to 4 mm in length, in transverse section rounded-pentagonal, central strand strong, sclerodermis present, often weak, hyalodermis absent; axillary hairs of up to 5 uniseriate cells, the basal 1–2 yellow; rhizoids sparse. Leaves incurved to spreading, often tubulose when dry, widely spreading when moist, usually rosulate, spathulate to oblong, to 3.2 mm in length, ventral surface flat to broadly concave across leaf; margins incurved, involute, or occasionally plane, sometimes broadly involute at the apex, entire to distantly denticulate above; apex rounded acute to broadly obtuse, apiculate or occasionally entire; base little differentiated in shape; costa percurrent or ending up to 4 cells below the apex, adaxial surface cells bulging, rounded-hexagonal, ca. 4 rows of cells across ventral surface of costa at midleaf, dorsal cells elongate, costa in transverse section rounded, showing one or two stereid bands, the dorsal semicircular in section except for a ventral indentation at the hydroid strand, ventral epidermis differentiated, 2–4 guide cells in 1 layer, dorsal epidermis slightly differentiated, hydroid strand present (this occasionally difficult to demonstrate in small plants); upper laminal cells rounded-hexagonal, 8–10 µm in width, 1:1, walls evenly thickened, ventrally strongly convex and dorsally nearly flat; upper laminal papillae often absent, when present solid, small, simple, 1–2 per lumen dorsally or occasionally present on both sides of lamina; basal cells not differentiated or often forming a small group medially or weakly differentiated across the leaf, quadrate to short-rectangular, to 15 µm wide, 2–3:1, hyaline to somewhat yellowish; 1–2 rows of inflated, hyaline cells across insertion sometimes also present, occasionally forming small auricles. Propagula in leaf axils, clavate, often multi-branched at the wider end, mostly 100–300 µm in length, with occasional internal walls. Dioicous. Perichaetia terminal, inner leaves ovate-lanceolate to ligulate, slightly larger or somewhat shorter than outer leaves, weakly or strongly sheathing, cells long-rhomboidal or rectangular in lower half. Perigonia terminal, inner leaves ovate, outer leaves large. Seta to 0.8 cm in length, yellow- to red-brown, twisted clockwise below, often counterclockwise above, 1 per perichaetium; theca ca. 1.0–1.5 mm in length, red- or yellow-brown, ellipsoidal or oblong, exothecial cells somewhat bulging, rectangular, ca. 15–35 µm in width, 2–5:1, walls thin to weakly porose and thickened, stomates phaneropore, present at base of capsule above a comparatively well developed neck; annulus of strongly vesiculose cells, persistent on the capsule mouth, detaching in pieces or revoluble; peristome of 16 spiculose, lanceolate to long-linear teeth, cleft to near base or variously cleft or perforate, often only perforate at base and entire, to 180 µm in length, up to 9 articulations, straight, low-spiculose, basal membrane absent or to 25 µm in height, low-spiculose. Operculum rostrate, to 0.9 mm in length, cells in straight rows. Calyptra cucullate, smooth, 0.6–2.0 mm in length. Spores yellow, weakly papillose, small, ca. 8–10 µm in diameter. Laminal KOH color reaction yellow in upper leaves, often orange-brown in lower.