Plants in loose mats, green above, tan below. Stems branching often, to 4 cm in length, transverse section rounded-pentagonal, central strand absent, sclerodermis present, hyalodermis present; axillary hairs of ca. 7 cells, the basal 2–3 brownish and firm-walled; knotty tomentum present but sparse. Leaves spreading-twisted when dry, squarrose-recurved when moist, lanceolate, ca. 3.0–3.3 mm in length, upper lamina keeled, margins recurved below, dentate above midleaf; apex acute; base sheathing in lower 1/4 to 1/3 of leaf; costa ending 2–4 cells below the apex, superficial cells elongate on both sides of costa, 4–7 rows of exposed stereid cells across costa ventrally at midleaf, costal transverse section reniform, two stereid bands present, epidermis absent ventrally and dorsally, guide cells 4 in 1 layer, hydroid strand absent; upper laminal cells quadrate to short-rectangular, ca. 9–12 µm in width, 1–2:1, walls evenly thickened, superficially flat to weakly convex; papillae very small, simple, solid, ca. 6–7 per lumen; basal cells differentiated across leaf base, rectangular, little wider than upper cells, 3–4:1, walls evenly thickened. Dioicous. Perichaetia terminal, or subterminal by innovations, inner leaves long-lanceolate, to 8 mm in length, convolute-sheathing, hiding greater portion of seta, cells long-rhomboidal, thick-walled and porose. Perigonia gemmate, terminal or subterminal by repeated innovations. Seta rather short, ca. 5–7 mm in length, 1(–2) per perichaetium, yellowish brown, not twisted; theca 2–3 mm in length, yellowish brown, cylindrical, occasionally somewhat ventricose, exothecial cells thin-walled, short-rectangular, stomates absent, annulus of 1–2 rows of vesiculose cells, persistent; peristome teeth 16, bright orange-red, linear, cleft into two rami from near base, occasional interpolated rami arise from anticlinal walls at margins of regular teeth, densely branching-spiculose, 500–1000 µm in length, with many articulations, straight or very weakly twisted counterclockwise, basal membrane low, ca. 70 µm high in height, sharply granulose to spiculose-papillose, occasionally striate in patches. (Operculum reportedly conic-rostrate, not seen.) Calyptra cucullate, smooth, ca. 3 mm in length. Spores large, ca. 20 µm in diameter, brown, low, spiculose-papillose. Laminal KOH color reaction yellow, with red mottling.