Breutelia squarrosa Jaeg., Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1873–74: 98. 1875, nom. nov. Bartramia squarrosa Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 265. 1869, hom. illeg., non  Turner, 1805. Protologue. Colombia. Andes Bogotenses, Bogota, Holton, n. 15.

Plants medium-sized to robust-sized, in loose or dense, somewhat glossy, yellowish‑green or brownish yellow tufts, to 6 cm high. Stems red, hyalodermis and central strand present, densely tomentose below; rhizoids reddish brown, lightly papillose. Leaves 3–4 x 1–1.5 mm, closely spaced, erect, plicate at base, squarrose to squarrose-recurved or erect-spreading above, irregularly wrinkled, squarrose to erect-spreading when wet, ovate to broadly lanceolate, not decurrent; apices slenderly acuminate; margins recurved below, plane above midleaf, serrulate; costae percurrent to shortly excurrent; leaf cells smooth-walled, papillose at lower ends, upper cells linear-elongate, thick‑walled, 22–58 x 3.7–5 μm, basal cells linear-elongate, 37–68 x 2.5–3.7 μm, thick-walled, alar cells weakly differentiated, 1–3 inflated cells at extreme basal angles and a few enlarged supra-alar cells, otherwise undifferentiated. Dioicous. Perigonia discoid. Sporophytes not seen. “Setae 7–9 mm long, arcuate, capsules subglobose, 3 mm long x 2 mm wide, irregularly rugulose when dry. Peristome inserted below the mouth, exostome of 16 lanceolate teeth, 150 μm long, finely granulose, endostome adherent to and nearly equaling exostome in length. Spores subreniform, areolate-tuberculate, 33–38 μm long x 25–27 μm wide” (Griffin 1984a).