Plants in turf or mats, green to yellow-brown distally, light to dark brown proximally. Stems to 1(-3) cm, branching occasionally; oval to rounded-triangular or pentagonal in transverse section, hyalodermis absent, sclerodermis weak, cells with smaller lumens, but usually thin-walled, central strand present, strong; weakly radiculose or with red-brown tomentum; axillary hairs of 3-10 cells, all hyaline or basal 1-2 brownish. Leaves often distant or crowded, occasionally secund, 1-1.5(-2) mm, appressed-incurved when dry, spreading when moist; ligulate to lanceolate, occasionally triangular or acuminate, adaxial surface strongly keeled, deeply grooved along costa; leaf base scarcely differentiated in shape or ovate, laminal margins plane or weakly recurved in proximal 1/2, entire, occasionally finely crenulate or weakly denticulate; apex broadly obtuse to sharply acute or occasionally acuminate; costa sometimes short-excurrent as a mucro or rarely ending a few cells below apex, adaxial outgrowths absent, adaxial cells elongate, occasionally short-rectangular to quadrate near apex, in 2-3 rows, abaxial cells elongate; transverse section oval to reniform, adaxial epidermis absent to weakly developed, adaxial stereid band absent, guide cells 2-4 in 1 layer, hydroid strand absent, abaxial stereid band strong, semicircular to ovate in section, abaxial epidermis usually distinct; basal cells differentiated in a small group at base of costa, short-rectangular, little wider than distal cells, 2-4:1, usually thick-walled; distal medial cells subquadrate, occasionally elongate transversely or longitudinally, (5-)7-9(-15) µm wide, 1(-2):1(-2), papillae either massive, multifurcating and centered over lumens or simple to 2-fid, cell walls thin to greatly thickened, superficially flat to bulging. Specialized asexual reproduction rare, by gemmae in axils of leaves. Sexual condition dioicous; perigonia and perichaetia terminal on short lateral branches, interior perichaetial leaves convolute-sheathing, ovate-acuminate, 1-1.5 mm, laminal cells shortly rhomboidal to near apex. Seta yellow-brown, 0.3-0.8 cm, twisted clockwise proximally, occasionally counterclockwise distally. Capsule yellow-brown to brown, ovoid to elliptic, 0.5-1(-1.5) mm, exothecial cells rectangular, walls thin, annulus of two rows of weakly vesiculose cells; operculum long-rostrate, 0.4-0.6(-1.8) mm, cells in straight rows; peristome teeth absent. Calyptra cucullate, 1.2-1.5(-2) mm, smooth. Spores 9-12(-19) µm, weakly to strongly papillose, light brown. KOH laminal color reaction yellow to yellow-orange.
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