Plants small to large, in dense mats. Stems creeping, branches ascending to erect. Leaves strongly crisped and inrolled, rarely erect-appressed when dry, erect-spreading to squarrose-recurved when moist, lanceolate to ligulate-lanceolate, not rugose; margins entire to crenulate; apex sharply acute, obtuse, or obtusely apiculate; costa percurrent to excurrent; basal laminal cells rectangular to elongate-linear; distal cells irregularly hexagonal to rounded-elliptic, 7-11 µm, , smooth to papillose or mammillose only over lumina, papillae 1 to many, conic; marginal cells not distinct from basal. Sexual condition autoicous; perichaetial leaves similar to stem leaves. Seta 5-12 mm. Capsule exserted, ovate, narrowly ovate to ovate-oblong when old and dry, plicate below mouth; stomata superficial; peristome single; exostome teeth 16, sparsely striate. Calyptra mitrate, lacerate, basal lobes many, smooth, naked or hairs few, plicate, covering entire capsule. Spores isosporous or anisosporous, .

Species ca. 460 (1 in the flora): se United States, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia.

Distinguishing characters for Macromitrium include prostrate creeping stems with many short, erect branches, terminal sporophytes, a mitrate, plicate calyptra, and a propensity for a chestnut brown color.

Lower Taxon

• Macromitrium richardii Schwagrichen