Plants small, in thin to dense mats, whitish to yellowish. Stems to 2(-5) cm, 0.5-1.5(-3) mm wide. Leaves erect-spreading, not or slightly wrinkled when dry, ovate to lanceolate, 0.7-1.8 × 0.2-0.6 mm; margins plane, serrulate to entire proximally, serrate to serrulate distally, rarely entire throughout; alar cells short-rectangular, quadrate, or transversely elongate, 12-38 × 10-20µm, region small; medial laminal cells often flexuose, linear-fusiform, 52-151 × 5-8 µm. Specialized asexual reproduction sometimes present as filaments on stems, multicellular, green or brown, simple or branched, often more than 0.5 mm, cells papillose. Seta yellow to reddish brown, 0.5-1.5 cm. Capsule cernuous, rarely erect, light brown to orange-brown, 0.5-2 mm; operculum conic-apiculate to obliquely short-rostrate. Spores 9-14 µm. mature spring-summer. Dry wooded regions, swamps, wet roadside ditches, base of trees, rotten logs, stumps, sandy soil, sedimentary rock; low to moderate elevations (0-400 m); N.S.; Ala., Ark., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Miss., Mo., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va.; Mexico; West Indies; Central America; South America; s Europe (Italy).
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