Plants small, glaucous dark green, in loose tufts. Stems short, rhizoids red. Leaves erect and slightly contorted when dry, spreading-ascending and loosely involute when wet, linear to narrowly lanceolate above broader base, to 4 mm long, axillary hairs inconspicuous; costa smooth abaxially and adaxially except spinose at tip; median cells isodiametric, grossly papillose abaxially and adaxially, papillae tall, simple or divided at tips; margins bordered all around with elongate hyaline cells, with delicate hyaline cilia at shoulders, entire distally to shoulders; cancellinae rounded distally; gemmae infrequent, inconspicuous, adaxial on tips of costa. Sporophytes unknown.

Type. China: Hainan: Le-dong Co., Jian-feng-ling Mountain, 1400 m, P.-J. Lin & L. Zhang 652 (holotype IBSC; isotypes LAF, MO, PE).

Chinese specimens examined: HAINAN: Le-dong Co., P.-J. Lin & Z.-H. Li 538 (IBSC, LAF); Redfearn et al. 35929 (MO).

Habitat: very rare; on decaying log and soil in evergreen forest at moderate elevations; 800–1400 m; Distribution: endemic to China.

Plants of S. hainanensis are very similar in gross appearance to those of the locally common and abundant S. prolifer Schwaegr. var. tosaensis, but differ most obviously in the ciliate leaf base. The leaf base of S. prolifer var. tosaensis usually has entire margins, but may bear occasional teeth or, very rarely, a few cilia. The leaf cells of S. prolifer var. tosaensis, while bulging-pluripapillose, lack the strikingly tall papillae of S. hainanensis. Syrrhopodon spiculosus Hook. & Grev., known from a single collection in the area, is similar to S. hainanensis.

Illustrations: Pl. 97, figs. 1–7.