Plants forming reddish-brown mats. Branch leaves ± contorted, spirally twisted around branches, with tips incurved when dry, oblong to oblong-lingulate, 1--1.8 mm, rounded to obtuse, ending in a short mucro, longitudinally plicate; margins entire; costa prominent, ending just below or in the short mucro; distal leaf cells 6--9 µm wide, rounded-hexagonal, bulging. Sexual condition pseudautoicous, dwarf males on leaves and tomentum. Seta 3--5 mm. Capsule oblong to oblong-ovate, 1--1.5 mm. Spores 15--22 µm wide, anisomorphic.

Rocks and trees; usually on horizontal branches 1--3 m high; low elevations; Fla.; Mexico; West Indies; Central America; South America.

This species is distinguished by non-rugose leaves, which have a length-width ratio of less than 5:1 and by erect branches less than 5 mm high. The apex of the leaf is mucronate and never strongly apiculate and the leaves are broadly longitudinally plicate when moist.