Mironia ehrenbergiana (C. Müll.) Zand., Bull. Buffalo Soc. Nat. Hist. 32: 112. 1993.
Barbula ehrenbergiana C. Müll., Syn. Musc. Frond. 1: 636. 1849. Morinia ehrenbergiana (C. Müll.) Thér., Smithsonian Misc. Collect. 85(4): 22. 1931. Protologue: Mexico. C. Ehrenberg.
Barbula trichostomoides Besch., Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 16: 182. 1872. Morinia trichostomoides (Besch.) Card., Rev. Bryol. 37: 124. 1910. Protologue: Mexico. In valle Mexicensi, silva della Desierta Vieja (Bourg.[eau] n° 1335) (NY).
Plants medium- to large-sized, red to reddish green above, red below, to 50 mm high. Stems red to reddish yellow, erect, irregularly branched, sclerodermis and central strand present; rhizoids matted at base, red, smooth, of two forms, small, highly branched ones and large, unbranched, solitary ones. Leaves 3–4 mm long, erect-sheathing at base, erect-twisted and incurved when dry, erect-spreading when wet, oblong to oblong-lanceolate; apices broadly acute; margins bistratose, narrowly recurved or revolute in lower 3/4, variously dentate in upper 1/5 to 1/2 entire, not bordered, somewhat decurrent at base; costa short-excurrent, into a short, stout mucro, smooth at back, ventral surface cells short-rectangular, pluripapillose, guide cells and two stereid bands present, upper ventral surface layer somewhat enlarged, papillose; upper cells 6–10 x 4–8 μm, firm-walled, oblate, irregularly quadrate, rhombic or short-rectangular, densely pluripapillose by thick, c-shaped papillae, basal cells smooth, rectangular, thin-walled, not or weakly bulging, 30–80 x 8–16 μm, alar cells not differentiated. Dioicous. Perichaetia terminal; perichaetial leaves convolute. Setae 1–2 per perichaetium, smooth, 10–15 mm long, red to orange. Capsules cylindric, curved above when dry, 3.5–5.0 mm long, smooth; exothecial cells rectangular; stomata in neck; opercula erect, long-conic, 1.5–2.0 mm long; annuli of 1–2 rows of vesiculose cells; peristome to 1 mm long, with 32, red, filamentous, densely spiculose, spirally twisted teeth, basal membrane low. Spores 9–11 μm, lightly papillose. Calyptrae cucullate, smooth, 6.0 mm long.