Plants scattered or gregarious, dull blackish green. Stems very short, 1.5-2 mm, hyalodermis absent, outer cortex undifferentiated, central strand absent; axillary hairs usually 5 cells in length, proximal cell yellowish. Leaves tubulose and contorted when dry, spreading and recurved from the insertion when moist, ligulate-lanceolate or oblong or long-elliptic, base weakly differentiated to elliptic, margins plane to erect-incurved, entire in proximal region, rounded-crenulate by bulging cells distally, lamina 1-stratose, apex rounded or rounded-obtuse to obtusely acute to occasionally cucullate; costa subpercurrent by 4-5 cells, adaxial outgrowths absent, covered ventrally with a layer of green, rounded-quadrate to short-rectangular bulging cells continuous with those of the lamina but appearing elevated above them, in 4-5 rows; transverse section elliptic to circular, adaxial epidermis strongly differentiated, adaxial stereid band absent, guide cells 2-4(-5) in one row, hydroid strand absent, abaxial stereid band present, strong, semi-elliptic to semi-circular in shape; basal cells sharply differentiated in the lower 1/6 of the leaf, abruptly inflated but not bulging, smooth, rising higher along the margins and forming a V-shaped area, oblong-rectangular 2-3(-4):1, thick-walled juxtacostally, becoming very thin and lax at the leaf margins; distal laminal cells rounded-quadrate to short-rectangular, 1:1(-2), 1-stratose, essentially smooth, adaxial surface mammillose-bulging, abaxial surface plane, somewhat mammillose near the margins, the walls thickened, firm. Specialized asexual reproduction lacking. Sexual condition gynodioicous, fertile plants synoicous, plants with only archegonia not producing sporophytes; perichaetia terminal, interior perichaetial leaves much smaller than the cauline leaves. Seta 0.4-0.5(-0.7) cm, rarely to 2 cm. Capsule stegocarpous, theca narrowly cylindric; annulus compound, large and strongly vesiculose in two rows, persistent; operculum narrowly high-conic; peristome teeth sixteen, linear or narrowly lanceolate, variable in development: absent, rudimentary or to 500 µm, erect. Calyptra cucullate. Spores 8-9 µm. KOH laminal color reaction negative, light yellow to orange.
Home