Plants in loose tufts, mostly light green, somewhat dull. Leaves erect-patent, 6-8 mm; margins slightly serrulate distally to almost entire; costa serrulate to nearly smooth distally on abaxial surface, with an interrupted double row of guide cells.

Capsules mature spring. Humus, sand, and rock in the tundra; 40-1500 m; B.C., Man., N.W.T., Que., Yukon; Alaska; Europe.

I. A. Worley and Z. Iwatsuki (1970) recorded var. orthophyllum from Alaska. It is an extremely weak Arctic variety that differs from var. majus in only a few minor characters. The plants immediately appear different because of the erect-patent, short leaves instead of the long, falcate-secund leaves of var. majus. More collections are needed from many Arctic localities to better understand var. orthophyllum, which may only be an environmental form.