Plants very small to medium sized, occasionally large and robust, forming loose to dense tufts, light to dark green to brown or black. Stems erect, simple to few branched by innovations; in cross-section hyalodermis and central strand present or absent; radiculose, occasionally densely tomentose. Leaves mostly crowded, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, lingulate, ligulate or spathulate, apex acute to acuminate, occasionally obtuse-rounded, base decurrent or not; margins plane to more commonly recurved or incurved, entire to crenulate or serrate; unbordered or bordered; costae single, strong, subpercurrent to long excurrent, occasionally as a hyaline, smooth or toothed awn, in cross-section with 1 or 2 stereid bands; median and distal cells generally isodiametric, smooth to more commonly mammillose, uni- to pluripapillose, thin- or thick-walled; lower and basal cells usually elongate, mostly rectangular, thin- or less commonly thick-walled, rarely similar to upper laminal cells, and if so then often thick-walled, alar region rarely differentiated. Gemmae occasionally present, generally produced in leaf axils or leaf apex. Monoicous or dioicous. Perichaetia terminal, rarely lateral (Anoectangium, Molendoa); leaves often differentiated. Setae mostly elongate, smooth, often twisted. Capsules mostly exserted, erect to suberect, urn cylindrical, less often short to long ovoid-cylindrical or subglobose; annuli present or absent, stomata at base urn; opercula mostly conic short- to long-rostrate, often oblique; peristome absent, rudimentary or more commonly present, single with teeth 16, commonly divided to near base and appearing as 32 segments, erect or spirally twisted, occasionally with a basal membrane, papillose to spiculose. Calyptrae cucullate, rarely campanulate, naked and smooth. Spores spherical, variously papillose.