Plants in loose shiny green turfs, large, stems not or sparingly branched, wiry, brown to red, sparsely rhizomatous, 1--4 cm. Leaves shiny green above, sometimes tinted pink or red below, small and scale-like below, becoming abruptly larger and rosulate above, contorted and finely rugose when dry, erect-spreading when wet, distal leaves 3--8 mm, broadly ovate, obovate or oblong, weakly decurrent, leaf tip acute to short acuminate, leaf margins plane distally, mostly revolute below, margins distinctly and strongly serrate distally by projecting cell ends, often to near leaf base, costa slender, percurrent, yellowish brown or red, in cross-section lacking a stereid band, or a few stereid-like cells sometimes present, lamina cells large and thin-walled, 90--150 ´ 30--50 mm (2--4:1), distal cells irregularly hexagonal, sometimes with squared off ends, cells along margin narrower and thicker walled, forming a somewhat distinct border of 2 layers, basal cells more regularly rectangular, often somewhat narrower and longer than distal cells. Perichaetial leaves similar to stem leaves, somewhat smaller. Perigonia enlarged, conspicuous, with abundant yellow antheridia in disk-like heads.

Litter and rich humus under trees and shrubs, mostly in montane and subalpine coniferous forests; 0--3200 m; Alta, B.C.; Alaska, Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

The species is rare in Alaska, Nevada and Utah. It has been found near sea level in coastal Alaska but generally occurs at 500--3200 m.