Plants usually pale delicate yellow distally, yellow-brown proximally, elongate, not rosulate, annual whorls often evident. Stems 0.3-1 cm, hyalodermis large, sclero-dermis inconspicuous, cells of central cylinder thick-walled, central strand present, without tomentum, rhizoids thick and sparse at the base. Stem leaves loosely foliose, gradually somewhat larger and more crowded toward the stem tips, loosely to typically tightly incurled-contorted around the stem when dry, suberect to spreading when moist, oblong-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, strongly keeled-concave distally, medially flat to broadly channeled across the leaf proximally, 2-3.5 mm; base somewhat broader, elliptical; margins erect to incurved-involute, especially toward the apex, not or somewhat undulate, limb gradually or quickly narrowed; apex obtuse, subcucullate; costa percurrent or short-excurrent, rarely disappearing before the apex on some leaves, adaxial epidermal cells papillose-quadrate to short-rectangular at midleaf, frequently disappearing, showing smooth and narrowly elongate (6:1) stereid adaxial cells at the extreme apex; in cross section adaxial epidermis of quadrate, papillose cells typically present, occasionally absent in patches toward the apex, proximal laminal cells in larger leaves rather abruptly differentiated from distal cells, yellow-hyaline and nearly concolorous with the distal lamina, long-rectangular, 8(-9):1, laxly thin-walled, rather gradually papillose; distal laminal cells 10-12(-14) µm wide. Specialized asexual reproduction none. Sexual condition dioicous; perigonia not seen; perichaetial leaves little differentiated from stem leaves. Seta 1.1-1.3 cm. Capsule 1.8-2.2 mm, annulus none; operculum 0.75-1 mm, nearly subulate when young, more broadly long-conic just before dehiscence; peristome teeth relatively short, to 0.5 mm, straight or obliquely inclined and slightly twisted, especially when newly deoperculate.
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