Ecology: Montane forest; generally shaded habitats, on soil and rocks, often along streams. Elevation: 1000-2800(4420) m (Venezuela: 1000-2500 m, Colombia: 1125-2800 m, Ecuador: 1300-1850 m, Peru: 4420 m). Distribution: Southeast United States, Mexico, Central America, West Indies, Venezuela to Peru, and Asia.
Fissidens polypodioides is characterized by the large size of the plants, to ca. 10 cm, leaves distally ± inrolled when dry, oblong, 5-6 mm long, obtuse to broadly acute apex, unbordered, denticulate near leaf apex, costa percurrent (ending 2-4 cells below apex), vaginant laminae 1/2 of leaf length and equal, smooth laminal cells, marginal cells at base similar to inter laminal cells.
The report for Bolivia (Pursell 2007) is excluded; this was based on a collection by Kuc s.n. from Chane, Depto. Santa Cruz. Not only does this represent a major disjunction which is not impossible, but all names associated with Chane are at ca. 300 m elevation, well within the Amazon. This collection was likely mislabeled, and may have been from the montane region in Ecuador where Kuc also collected.