Stems 4--8(--13) cm, dark reddish-brown to black, densely matted with dark reddish-brown rhizoids at base, branching irregularly; branches crowded, 1.5--4 cm, usually arising in clusters from adjacent stem segments. Stem leaves 1.5--3.5  1 mm; distal laminal cells quadrate to oblong, 7--36  5--18 µm; basal cells mostly oblong, 7--40  5--14 µm. Branch leaves spreading 50--60, serrate in distal 1/3, 1.5--3.8  1--2 mm; distal laminal cells 3--32  3--14 µm; basal cells 7--50(60)  3--14 µm; leaves on flagelliform branches wide-spreading to squarrose, limbidia absent or poorly developed, 0.4--0.8  0.1--0.3 mm. Perichaetial leaves acuminate to subulate, squarrose, serrate or serrulate to base, 1.5--2.5  0.8--1 mm. Sporophytes unknown.

Perichaetia produced winter to early spring. Mucky peat, decayed wood and bark, coastal shrub swamps; 0--10 m elev.; very rare; Oreg.

The multistratose and serrate margins, lack of paraphyllia, usual dendroid habit, and organic substrate in wetlands distinguish this taxon. It bears superficial resemblance to Leucolepis acanthoneuron, Pleuroziopsis ruthenica and Climacium dendroides, but none of these have the limbidia characteristic of Limbella. For many years, Limbella fryei was known only from the type locality, a "more or less wet pasture," since destroyed by housing development. A new population was discovered in 1978 (J. A. Christy 1980). E. Lawton (1971) synonymized L. fryei with the Hawaiian L. tricostata, which differs, however, in a number of important characters.