Autoecious; growing prostrate in extensive, flat, shining, sericeous, intricate patches; stems 1-3 inches long, forking occasionally, almost regularly pinnately branched, and rooting where in contact with soil. Branches 3-5 mm long, simple, turgidly julaceous and crowding together when dry, spreading widely when moist, with the capsules standing erect at right angles, and with numerous short, imbricate, boat-shaped leaves 1 mm long or less; branch leaves smaller; leaves widely ovate, with apiculate reflexed apex, deeply concave, cochleate, placed all round the stem and branches, and not flattened; margin erect, minutely denticulate near the apex; nerve usually invisible, occasionally faintly shown as very short and double; cells narrowly linear, about 50 x 5 µm; apical and basal cells rather shorter; alar cells a small segregated group of quadrate cells about 10 µm diameter. Outer perichaetal leaves short and spreading, inner erect, sheathing, nerveless, 2 mm long, including subulate, almost entire points. Seta single, 1 cm long, yellow, straight, smooth; capsule small, erect, cylindric, regular, red, with red teeth widely barred, horizontally striate in the lower part, then slightly papillose, then hyaline, often split or perforated in the upper half. Inner peristome very rudimentary, somewhat attached to the teeth; columella exserted further than the teeth. Lid shortly and obliquely beaked; calyptra cucullate, straight, white, dehiscing early.
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