Plants: (1–)2–3(–6) cm. Stems: red or reddish brown. Leaves: green to dark green, contorted and twisted when dry, ovate-elliptic or sometimes elliptic or oblong-ovate, rarely narrow, (2–)3–4(–5) mm; base long-decurrent; margins reddish brown, 2-stratose or rarely multistratose, toothed to below mid leaf or sometimes only distally, teeth paired or occasionally single, small to large, blunt or occasionally sharp; apex acute or acuminate, rarely obtuse or rounded, apiculate or cuspidate, cusp toothed; costa percurrent, subpercurrent, or excurrent, smooth, on well-developed leaves distal abaxial surface rarely with few blunt teeth; medial laminal cells ± isodiametric or short-elongate, (18–)20–30(–40) µm, slightly smaller towards margins, in diagonal or longitudinal rows, usually strongly collenchymatous, blue postmortal color absent; marginal cells linear, in 2–3(–4) rows. Sexual: condition synoicous or rarely dioicous. Seta: single. Capsule: yellow-brown, 2–4 mm; operculum rostrate; exostome reddish brown, sometimes yellowish. Spores: 18–32 µm. Phenology: Capsules mature late spring.