Plants medium-sized, in green or yellow green mats. Primary stems creeping, irregularly branched;
rhizoids from clusters of initials at the abaxial side of the leaf insertions, red, smooth, unbranched or
rarely irregularly branched. Secondary stems horizontal or erect and loosely spreading, to 6 cm long,
irregularly or pinnately branched; cross section with sclerodermis of 3–6 rows of small, red brown,
thick-walled cells, cortical cells enlarged, yellow to hyaline, very thick-walled, central strand absent;
paraphyllia absent; pseudoparaphyllia filamentous or subfoliose and with scale leaves. Secondary
stem and branch leaves ovate, 1–2 mm long, erect-imbricate when dry, wide-spreading when wet,
acute to somewhat acuminate, decurrent; margins revolute in lower 3/4 or less, crenulate to denticulate
above; costae strong, 0.8–0.9 the leaf length, often wavy above; cells smooth, thick-walled, upper
cells elliptic, 10–15 μm long, cells from tip of costa to leaf apex elongate, to 22 μm long, median cells
round to elliptic, 6–15 μm long; basal cells near costa in lower 1/6 of leaf elongate to linear, 20–
35 μm long; alar cells rounded to subquadrate, 6–12 μm. Autoicous. Perichaetia lateral, leaves oblong
to oblong-lanceolate, inner ones abruptly narrowed to long, papillose to spinose aristae, 1/2 or less
the leaf length, costa stoutly filling the apex, weakly developed at base and often absent at midleaf.
Setae short, 0.1–0.2 μm long, red, cells quadrate. Capsules immersed, ellipsoid, 1.0–1.5 mm long,
smooth, light brown, narrowed at the mouth, abruptly rounded-indented to the setae; exothecial cells
small, red, in 2–3 rows below the mouth, thin-walled, irregularly short-rectangular below; stomata absent;
opercula conic-mammillate, smooth, 0.5 mm long; annuli compound, often clinging to mouth
after dehiscence; peristome diplolepideous, deeply inserted within the mouth; exostome teeth narrowly
triangular to linear, white, 0.35–0.40 mm long; endostome segments linear, papillose, shorter
than the exostome, cilia absent, basal membranes very low. Spores spherical or irregularly oblong,
lightly papillose, 28–34 μm. Calyptrae mitrate, smooth to lightly prorate, 0.5 mm long.