Terricolous, on damp soil: thallose, medium-sized, green; shoots erect, dendroid, in crowded tufts, expanded into flabellate aerial fronds; once dichotomously branched, to several (2-4) times. Terminal branches generally 6 or 7(8), very rarely 11 in older plants, up to 10 mm long and tapering distally; proximal branches 2-5 x 1.0-1.7 mm and 165 µm thick over costa, apices blunt to rounded, entire or slightly notched, bearing 2-celled slime papillae; central conducting strand visible from above and bifurcating some distance below separation of branches; margins of wings with small remote teeth in sterile plants, but with prominent spines in male and some female plants, lacking slime papillae, plane to undulate, bilaterally rather gradually expanded. Stipe ascending, wingless and unbranched, purplish red, basally bearing some rhizoids, ± 10 x 500 µm, with single strand below, double strand above. Rhizome horizontally creeping, branched, dark brown, embedded in the soil, in section cortical cells with outer walls slightly thickened, medullary cells thin-walled, larger, ± 45 µm wide, central strand cells thick-walled, 7.5 µm wide. Rhizoids mostly ventral, smooth, brownish, slightly thick-walled, ± 12.5 µm wide. Wings with forwardly directed marginal teeth, sometimes curved and projecting at angles of 20°-90°, low and blunt, or up to (3)4 or 5 cells long, basally 2 to 4 cells wide, tapering to pointed uniseriate apices; marginal cells from above rectangular or polygonal, 30-52 x 17-25 µm, laminal cells hexagonal, ± 70 x 30 µm, epidermal cells above midrib rectangular, 35-47 x 20-22 µm, all containing up to 9 spindle-or rod-shaped bodies, finely granulose, ± 10 µm long, as well as numerous rounded chloroplasts, 2.5 µm wide: in section wings unistratose along margins for 6-8 cell rows, then 2, soon 3 cell layers deep, grading into thickened costa, parenchymal cells enclosed by chlo rophyllose epidermis above and below, colourless and empty, rounded, up to 45 x 45 µm. Costa with central conducting strand up to 50 x 50 µm, consisting of a group of ± 11 thick-walled and elongated, brown, sclerenchymal cells, ± 5 µm wide, surrounded by parenchymal cells. Dioicous. Androecia above and lateral to costa, covering dorsal central parts of segments of once or twice dichotomously branched, backwardly arched frond, margins of segments undulate, prominently toothed; antheridia numerous not in distinct rows but crowded together, up to 4 alongside each other, globose, 225 x 200 µm, yellowing with age, in axils of and covered by apically directed, dentate to laciniate scales, the latter imbricate, frequently connate at the bases, turning orange, laciniae up to 400 µm long, apically uniseriate, 3 or 4(6) cell rows wide basally, cells up to 75 x 22 µm. Gynoecia single, dorsally situated immediately distal to a bifurcation in lower part of frond, which when young is somewhat funnel-shaped with connivent wings. Involucre cup-like, surrounding a group of archegonia, basally 4 cell layers thick in transverse section, otherwise 2-or 3-layered, 1300 µm high, including laciniae 375 µm long projecting upwards from the mouth, 2750 µm wide when opened up and spread out. Pseudoperianth developing inside involucre after fertilization, becoming cylindrical and eventually ± 4500 µm long, 3 or 4 cell layers thick, irregularly laciniate at mouth, laciniae up to 330 µm long, uniseriate above, 3 or 4 arising from each basal part, up to 500 x 300 µm, separated from each other by slits, sometimes with 2-celled slime papillae at the base, outer cells hexagonal, ± 70 x 37 µm above, elongating to ± 200 x 37 µm below. Calyptra initially enclosing capsule and seta, inserted into mature pseudoperianth and basally fused with it, 2825 x 750 µm, creamish white, at apex old archegonial neck projecting and at sides several unfertilized archegonia as well as 4-celled slime papillae, 67 x 15 µm, mostly 2 cell layers thick, outer cells smaller, 60-75 x 30 µm, irregularly shaped, with sinuous walls. Capsule cylindrical, 1050 x 750 µm, brown, containing a mass of spores and elaters without elaterophore, wall bistratose, with outer cells up to 75 x 20 µm, lacking band-like thickenings, eventually perforating top of calyptra and carried aloft as seta elongates, dehiscing by 2 slits. With the valves coherent. Seta before elongation and when still enclosed by calyptra, ± 875 µm long, diameter in section 450 µm, cortical cells 27.5-37.5 x 32.5-37.5 µm, in ± 43 cell rows, medullary cells, 30.0-52.5 µm wide, angular, ± nine across; foot 625 µm long, narrowing to a pointed base. Spores light brown, globular to oval, 25-32 µm in diameter, ornamentation cristate with numerous short and long, branched and unbranched, bent or curved ridges, in between with short rods and dots, 2.5 µm high, expanded and flattened on top: proximal face, besides being ornamented as described above, also with a discrete, round area, ± 10 µm wide, lacking ridges and with only a few granules visible. Elaters light brown, tapering slightly at ends, up to 290 x 7.5 µm in the centre, 2-spiral.
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