Dioicous. Compact to loose wefts on soil, rocks or wood. Stems to c. 12 (–25) cm long, branching pinnately or bipinnately; branches to c. 1(–1.5) cm long. Stem leaves strongly incurved from a widely patent base to squarrose, usually cordate-triangular or triangular, less often ovate-cordate or ovate-deltoid, to 1.4 (–2) mm long, 1 (–1.2) mm wide, deeply plicate; apices acuminate; costae subpercurrent; margins crenulate to denticulate, sometimes plane in acumen, otherwise recurved; cells isodiametric to elongate, variable in shape, c. 5–12 μm wide, papillose, rarely with pluripapillose. Branch leaves patent with the acumen weakly incurved when moist, loosely imbricate and strongly incurved from patent base when dry, mostly ovate-triangular, to c. 0.25 (–0.5) mm long; apices mostly narrowly acute or weakly acuminate, occasionally narrowly obtuse or narrowly rounded; costae extending to c. ¾ leaf length; margins coarsely crenulate or denticulate; cells isodiametric or nearly so, 5–10 μm wide, papillose, rarely pluripapillose in a few cells. Setae to c. 3 (–3.5) cm long, red to orange. Capsules inclined to pendent, narrowly ovoid, narrowly ellipsoid, oblong or cylindric, weakly or strongly curved, to c. 2.5 (–3) mm long. Calyptrae cucullate, with hairs at base or glabrous.
GleP, Brid, VVP, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, HFE, VAlp. Along and south of the Great Dividing Range in moist sites in sclerophyll forest and woodland and in rainforests and beside creeks from sea-level to within the alpine zone. Also WA, SA, NSW, ACT, Tas, and Norfolk and Macquarie Island. New Zealand, Society Islands, Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile, Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island.
