Plants in open to compact tufts, (yellow-)green, olivaceous, sometimes brownish or blackish. Stems 1.2-5 cm, central strand distinct. Leaves erect or curved, sometimes imbricate but usually with spreading leaf tips, sometimes weakly contorted, ovate-lanceolate, sharply keeled distally, 1.5-2.3 mm, 1-stratose, rarely 2-stratose in striae distally; margins usually recurved to near apex, smooth but sometimes slightly toothed along decurrent portion of awn, 1-or 2-stratose; apices acute or sub-obtuse; costa usually excurrent as a denticulate or spinulose-denticulate, straight or flexuose, usually bright white (sharply contrasting with the lamina), strongly decurrent awn, smooth; basal marginal cells quadrate or rectangular, trigonous; distal laminal cells variable in shape and size, isodiametric or short-rectangular, strongly trigonous, often guttulate and, occasionally, with stellate lumina, especially at mid leaf, 8-11 µm wide, smooth, strongly sinuose. Sexual condition autoicous. Capsule orange-brown or reddish brown, cylindric, 0.8-1.3 mm; exothecial cells often irregularly shaped, mostly isodiametric or oblate, occasionally mixed with a few elongate cells, thin-walled, walls sometimes curved, often with small trigones; stomata present; peristome patent to recurved, often twisted, 250-450 µm, red, densely papillose, usually weakly perforated. Spores 11-15 µm, finely granulose.
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