Plants often robust, in thick mats or short turf, yellow-to orange-brown distally, yellow-to red-brown proximally. Stems commonly elongate, 1-5 cm; hyalodermis absent [present and usually collapsed when mature], sclerodermis of thick-walled cells present, central strand absent; axillary hairs of 6-16 cells, cells often bulging, all clear or proximal 1-2 brownish. Leaves often widely spreading to squarrose, twisted to contorted when dry, spreading to squarrose-recurved when moist; ovate-to long-lanceolate, occasionally lingulate or oblong, adaxial surface keeled or channeled along costa, mostly 2-5 mm, but often longer; base usually rectangular, sheathing, proximal margins sometimes long-decurrent; distal margins recurved in proximal 1/3-3/4, usually dentate in distal 1/3-1/2, apex acute, occasionally rounded or narrowly obtuse; costa shortly excurrent, percurrent or ending 1-6(-15) cells before apex, adaxial outgrowths absent, adaxial cells elongate, in 3-5 rows; transverse section reniform or occasionally elliptic or semicircular, adaxial epidermis absent, adaxial stereid band present, guide cells 2-4 in 1 layer, hydroid strand absent, abaxial stereid band present, crescent-shaped in section, abaxial epidermis absent or seldom present; proximal cells differentiated medially or across base, often sharply demarcated and hyaline, rectangular, slightly wider than distal cells, 2-5:1, walls of proximal cells thin to evenly or laterally thick-walled, occasionally porose distal medial cells subquadrate, mostly 11-15 µm wide, 1:1, 1-stratose; papillae simple, 2-fid, or multifid, often hollow (cup or C-shaped), occasionally. columnar, cell walls thin or evenly to collenchymatously thickened, often trigonous, often strongly bulging. [Specialized asexual reproduction by gemmae, multicellular, clavate to obovate, borne on short stalks in leaf axils, occasionally on leaf apices or branchlets.] Sexual condition usually dioicous, rarely autoicous or possibly rhizautoicous. Perichaetia terminal, interior leaves strongly convolute-sheathing, long-lanceolate, usually much longer than the cauline leaves, laminal cells long-rhomboid, porose or thin-walled. [Seta to 3 cm. Capsule stegocarpous, theca cylindric, 2.0-3.5 mm, annulus often highly differentiated, of 2-7 rows of yellowish or reddish vesiculose cells, irregularly deciduous; operculum conic to conic-rostrate; peristome teeth 16, linear, occasionally rudimentary, straight. Calyptra cucullate. Spores small.] KOH laminal color reaction usually yellow, often orange to yellowish orange, occasionally with red blotches above.
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