Plants small, compact, green, in low, thin to dense colonies or solitary or tufted. Stems short, rhizoids brownish-red, inconspicuous. Leaves tightly involute-secund when dry, spreading and somewhat involute when wet, lance- to oblong-acuminate, to 4–5 mm long; axillary hairs inconspicuous; costa covered adaxially with tall bulging-papillose cells (best seen in section); cells of upper laminae pellucid, isodiametric, papillose abaxially with peg-like bifid to multifid papillae, bulging pluripapillose adaxially; margins of upper laminae narrowly bordered at least in part with hyaline cells, border sometimes weak and interrupted, entire, margins of lower laminae bordered or unbordered, entire; cancellinae ending in acute angles distally. Gemmae common, filamentous, borne at midleaf on flanks of costa. Sporophytes not seen.

Type. Peninsula Malaysia: ad Tavoy, D. Parish s.n. (holotype NY; isotype H).

Chinese specimens examined: HAINAN: Chang-jiang Co., Redfearn et al. 35770 (IBSC, LAF, MO); Le-dong Co., Reese et al. 17753 (IBSC, LAF); Ling-shui Co., P.-J. Lin & Z.-H. Li 1071 (IBSC, LAF, SYS).

Habitat: rare; solitary and in small thin colonies on tree trunks, twigs, and branches, rarely on rocks and decaying logs, in rather open forests, often along streams, at moderate elevations, 680–1300 m; Distribution: China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Malay Peninsula, and Hawaii.

Plants of this species are very similar in general aspect and habitat to those of S. parasiticus but differ consistently in the pluripapillose cells of the upper laminae.

Illustrations: Pl. 100, figs. 1–3.