Plants forming tufts of green on tree trunk with stiff leaves ( mainly apical leaves ) , soften when getting wet . Stem short , simple , 4.5 -5.0 mm long , rosette- like spreading of leaves at top of the stem. Normal leaves lingulate , base not broader than lamina, apex obtuse , 2.0 - 2.5 mm long and 0.5 - 0.7 mm broad , curled and incurved when dry. Upper gemmiferous leaves longer and narrower at top, 2.5 -3.0 mm long and 0.5 - 0.6 mm broad at base ( sometimes even broader ). Chlorophyllose lamina cells hexagonal to quadrate , swollen with one or several coarse papillae , smaller than the basal hyaline cells ( cancellinae ), 5.0 - 5.5 μ wide and 5.5 – 7.0 μ long. Cancellinae within leaf base, 0.70 - 0.75 mm high, of about 10 rows of pellucid , elongated , rectangular cells on both sides of costa; cells very large near costa, 130.5 -132.5 x 40.0 - 42.0 μ, gradually becoming narrower towards margin and bordered by about 6 rows of elongated , very narrow cells at the margin, 2 rows of these cells may extend to a little above the cancellinae region as very short tenioli. Leaf margin smooth at tip , may be slightly denticulate at base. Costa prominent, percurrent in normal leaves but excurrrent into a club like structure ( which may be branching by splitting in some cases ) in gemmiferous leaves bearing the radiating brood bodies in star like clusters . Gammae 135.0 -140.5 x 20.0 - 23.0 μ , green , germinating from tip forming a protonematous hypha.
