Plants in open, occasionally flattish tufts or cushions, oliva-ceous, often in part yellow-green, rarely blackish. Stems 1-2(-4) cm, central strand distinct or absent. Leaves erect or slightly curved, usually imbricate when dry, narrowly ovate-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, sharply keeled distally, 1.1-2.1 mm, 1-stratose, rarely with 2-stratose striae distally; margins recurved to just before the apex, often denticulate distally, 1-or 2-stratose; apices acute or somewhat obtuse; costa excurrent as a coarsely denticulate, often slightly flexuose, usually decurrent awn, rarely percurrent (in alpine habitats), smooth; some basal cells sometimes much lighter than adjacent cells, often hyaline, sometimes with yellowish walls, marginal cells quadrate or elongate-rectangular, often strongly trigonous or with more thickened transverse walls; distal cells often of various shapes, short-rectangular or isodiametric, sometimes ovate or sub-triangular, 6-10 µm wide, usually strongly sinuose. Sexual condition autoicous. Capsule red-brown, sometimes orange-brown, cylindric, 0.7-1.1 mm; exothecial cells irregularly shaped, isodiametric or oblate, thin-walled or slightly thickened, trigonous; sto-mata present; peristome patent to squarrose, sometimes revolute, 230-300 µm, orange-red or yellowish red, densely to finely papillose, weakly perforated. Spores 10-14 µm, granulose or nearly smooth.
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