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Terrestrial. Sporophytes emergent, photosynthetic, perennial and long-lived. Shoots tufted, isotomous, with new shoots arising from the axils of basal leaves and from detachable bulbils that form in the upper axils of leaves. Roots arising from the narrow stem stele and descending through the broad cortex to the stem base to emerge as a basal tuft. Shoots homophyllous with undifferentiated sterile to gradually heterophyllous with slightly reduced sporophylls. Sterile leaves isophyllous, arranged in alternating subspiral whorls of 2–5, appearing spiralling. Sporophylls isophyllous, persisting after dehiscence of sporangia, arrangement similar to sterile leaves or with a reduced number of parts per subspiral whorl. Sporangia axillary, reniform, isovalvate, inner epidermal cells sinuate, thickened and lignified. Spores fovelate or fossulate, with truncate corners and concave lateral margins in polar view. Gametophytes subterranean in humus, mycoheterotrophic, cylindrical tubers, dorsiventral, with multicellular uniseriate hairs among the gametangia on the upper surface.
Plants terrestrial or on rocks, small to medium-sized. Stem erect or ascending, 3-32 cm, dichotomously branched, upper portion of stem and branchlets often with bulbils. Leaves linear or lanceolate, often papery, margin entire or serrate. Strobili homomorphic with sterile branches or branchlets. Sporophylls homomorphic with trophophylls but slightly smaller. Sporangia in axils of sporophylls of upper portion of stem or branchlets, reniform, dehiscent in 2 valves. Spore sides at equator concave with truncate angles.
