Plants firm, somewhat rigid, occasionally brittle when dry, in low, dense, dark brown to black to emerald-green tufts, compact, elongate, not rosulate. Stem 1-3 cm, rarely to 4 cm, densely foliose, leaf bases not evident between the leaves, central strand absent, tomentum rufous, dense, visible between the leaf bases especially along the lower stem. Stem leaves firm, somewhat rigid, stiffly erect, especially proximal leaves, to loosely twisted and moderately contorted when dry, erect and somewhat spreading when moist, gradually larger and more crowded toward the stem tips, distal-most leaves usually more spreading than the erect leaves or leaf bases proximally; leaf shape variable within clumps and on the same stem: short stems with leaves short, ovate-lanceolate, margins inwardly tapering to acute apices, longer stems with longer, more narrowly lanceolate leaves with more acuminate apices, the proximal leaves frequently narrowly lanceolate, distal leaves ovate or broadly ovate-lanceolate, generally narrowing gradually, but often some distal-most leaves with an abrupt narrowing with parallel sides in the distal quarter, leaf tips fragile, the older ones usually eroded; deeply concave to canaliculate-tubulose in longer leaves, 1.5-3(-4) mm; base undifferentiated in shape to broadly ovate proximally narrowing gradually or abruptly to the lanceolate distal lamina; margins variously plane, erect, to incurved, infrequently undulate in some leaves, apex fragile, acute to acuminate, abruptly ending before a sharp apiculus or narrowly acute and confluent with a conical, nearly mucronate apiculus; in shorter leaves naviculate to nearly cucullate, distinctly cucullate in the awl-shaped youngest leaves arising from the stem apex; longer, narrow leaves with erect to broadly incurved margins extending to the leaf apex; costa short-excurrent into a sharp, narrow, denticulate or smoothly conical mucro of 1-5(-10) cells, adaxial surface covered by quadrate, papillose laminal cells except for a narrow groove of elongate (8:1) smooth cells continuous throughout length of the leaf, in cross section, adaxial epidermal cells interrupted in the center, exposing the adaxial stereid layer by about two cells; proximal laminal cells abruptly differentiated from distal cells, yellow-hyaline, elongate, 6-8:1, firm to laxly thin-walled, smooth; marginal angle of differentiated cells steep due to the quadrate laminal cells extending juxtacostally far down into the proximal cell region, with a marginal row of firm to thin-walled, quadrate to short-rectangular smooth cells extending a short way up the lamina or to mid-leaf; distal laminal cells frequently 2-stratose on one or both laminae juxtacostally or extending marginward as one to two pairs of cells, but never extending to the margins even in longer leaves with narrowed apices, rounded-quadrate or hexagonal, with slightly thickened walls, (12-)14(-17) µm wide, strongly papillose, areolation more or less distinct, differentiated distal marginal cells absent except in longer leaves possessing a somewhat differentiated and deciduous apex, these having obscure (due to erosion) to distinct thicker-walled, less papillose to smooth, elongate marginal cells. Specialized asexual reproduction apparently by means of fragile leaf tips in the longer leaves. Sexual condition apparently dioicous: only sterile and perichaetiate plants seen. Perichaetia terminal, leaves long-lanceolate, costa excurrent into a long awn or subula. Sporophytes unknown.
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