Ecology: Open montane to páramo and humid puna; mostly moist or wet habitats, on soil, humus, leaf litter and over rocks. Elevation: 1850-4300 m (Venezuela: 2900-3800 m, Colombia: 2310-3960 m, Ecuador: 2200-4300 m, Peru: 3385 m, Bolivia: 2250-3865 m). Distribution: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, tropical Andes.
Breutelia chrysea is distinguished by the ovate narrowly lanceolate leaves to 4 mm, plicate to ca. mid leaf base, weakly to distinctly serrulate margins, excurrent costa, elongate (4-7:1) upper limb cells, 3-6 rows of enlarged, quadrate to short rectangular basal margin cells, slightly curved setae to 14 mm, and furrowed capsules to 4 mm. Related, if not identical, to B. trianae (cf. Griffin 1984) which exhibits longer leaf limb cells (10:1). The type of Breutelia sphagneticola could not be located at H-BR, however Brotherus (1924: 471) indicated that this name is a synonym of B. chrysea.
Breutelia chrysea se distingue por las hojas ovadas angostamente lanceoladas hasta 4 mm, plegadas hasta ca. la mitad de la base de la hoja, márgenes débilmente a conspicuamente serrulados, costa excurrente, células superiores del limbo alargadas (4-7:1), porción basal del margen con 3-6 filas de células agrandadas, cuadradas a corto-rectangulares, setas escasamente curvadas hasta 14 mm, y cápsulas acanaladas hasta 4 mm. Está relacionada,si no es idéntica a B. trianae (cf. Griffin 1984) que presenta las células del limbo de la hoja más largas (10:1).