Plants: light green to brownish green, shiny. Stems: with small, incrassate, pigmented epidermal cells; exterior cortical cells similar to epidermal cells; interior cortical cells larger, hyaline; central strand small. Leaves: oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, becoming apiculate to aristate distally, the distal, perigonial, and perichaetial leaves long-subulate; margin nearly entire, crenate-serrulate at apex; costa smooth, strong, ending in or near apex, or ending in subula of distal and gametoecial leaves; distal and medial laminal cells irregularly quadrate to irregularly oblong, outer and marginal laminal cells narrow and elongate, oblong at insertion, elongate in subula. Sporophytes: rare. Spores: smooth, or nearly so. Widespread but disjunct, largely temperate Northern Hemisphere.