Plants in open to compact, often extensive, tufts or mats, dark green, olivaceous, or brown, often yellow green distally, rarely nearly black. Stems 1.2–10(–18) cm, central strand distinct. Leaves erect, often curved towards stem when dry and somewhat imbricate, sometimes secund, often slightly contorted when dry, ovate-lanceolate to ovate-triangular, keeled or concave proximally, keeled distally, 1.2–3.2 mm, 1-stratose, occasionally with 2-stratose striae or patches distally; margins usually recurved to past mid leaf, sometimes to near apex, rarely plane, denticulate or smooth distally, 1- or 2-stratose, rarely 3-stratose, often in more than one row; apices acute or obtuse, sometimes ending in a series of pellucid cells; costa sub-percurrent or percurrent, sometimes as a short, smooth or weakly denticulate awn, smooth; basal marginal cells mostly quadrate; distal laminal cells angular, isodiametric or short-rectangular, 7–9(–11) µm, smooth, slightly sinuose. Sexual condition autoicous. Capsule red-brown or yellowish green, rarely almost black, short-cylindric, cupulate, or campanulate, 0.6–1.1 mm; exothecial cells isodiametric, usually irregularly angular, or elongate, sometimes rounded, unevenly thickened or thick-walled, often trigonous; rim usually darker than capsule wall; stomata present; peristome patent, squarrose-recurved, or revolute, 350–570 µm, dark red, densely papillose, usually weakly perforated. Spores 14–24 µm, granulose.