Plants in open to dense turfs, green, yellow-green, or golden, often lustrous. Stems 0.5-1(-2) cm, gemmiform to somewhat rosulate. Leaves strongly imbricate, slightly twisted when dry, concave, 1-2(-3) mm; margins plane to weakly recurved proximally, entire to serrulate distally, limbidium absent; apex acute; costa short- to long-excurrent, awn present; proximal laminal cells abruptly quadrate to short-rectangular; medial and distal cells rhomboidal to elongate-hexagonal, 40-60 × 10-16µm, 3-4:1. Specialized asexual reproduction absent. Sporophytes unknown .

Dry rock outcrops, soil covered crevices; moderate elevations (1000 m); Ariz.; Mexico; Central America.

Brachymenium mexicanum is distinguished from B. macrocarpum by its more or less imbricate leaves, lack of limbidium, and absence of rhizoidal tubers. The leaf bases are not decurrent.