Plants: dark green or brownish. Stems: with branches spreading, loosely foliate, not curved at apices. Stem: and branch leaves similar. Stem: leaves occasionally very slightly plicate, not much longer than broad, 0.9–1.2 mm; apex rounded-obtuse to sometimes acute or short-acuminate. Branch: leaves remote, elliptic or broadly oblong-ovate, not plicate, 0.4–0.8 mm; margins erect, not revolute, slightly incurved when dry; apex rounded-obtuse; costa ending 8–10 cells before apex; distal laminal cells 6–9 µm, indistinctly bulging-papillose abaxially. Seta: yellow to orange-brown, 0.5–1.2 cm. Capsule: yellow-brown, oblong-cylindric, straight, 1.5–2.3 mm; annulus 2- or 3-seriate; operculum rounded-conic, blunt; exostome teeth yellow; endostome segments less than 1/3 exostome teeth length. Spores: 11–18 µm, very finely papillose. Phenology: Capsules mature Mar–Nov.

Base and lower trunks of hardwood trees, bald cypress, pine, logs, flood plains, rock. low to moderate elevations (20-400 m). Alta., Man., Ont., Que., Ala., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Nebr., N.J., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Pa., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., W.Va., Wis.

Leskea obscura is more common in eastern North America. Leskea obscura is distinguished from L. gracilescens by its smooth, concave, blunt, rounded-obtuse leaves with erect margins, exostome teeth 0.2–0.3 mm, longer than endostome segments, and operculum that is distinctly blunt.