Plants dark green, unbranched, in low tangled tufts, with stemless appearance. Stems very short; rhizoids glossy blackish red. Leaves monomorphic, curled when dry, straight when wet, linear above slightly broader base, to l cm long, with abundant pale paraphysis-like axillary hairs with longest median cells 3–4 or more times as long as wide; cells of upper laminae often bistratose, mostly or partly transversely elongate, smooth abaxially and adaxially; margins thickened, toothed in two rows, the teeth remote in proximal part; teniolae lacking; distal cells of cancellinae sharply demarcated from adjacent green cells of upper laminae. Gemmae infrequent, adaxial on leaf tips. Sporophytes not seen.

Type. South America: In arboribus Guyanne, Richard s.n. (isotype PC).

Chinese specimens examined: HAINAN: Le-dong Co., P.-J. Lin et al. 85291 (H, IBSC, LAF, PE, SYS); Ling-shui Co., Redfearn et al. 36130 (IBSC, LAF, MO).

Habitat: rare in China, on tree trunks and rocks in forests at moderate elevations, 480–900 m; Distribution: pantropical.

Plants of C. lonchophyllum are very similar to those of C. levyanum var. hainanense, but differ in having smooth laminal cells and longer leaves. It may be necessary to cut sections of the leaves to see if papillae are present or lacking. In much of its wide range C. lonchophyllum is common and abundant, but in China it is rare. This species and C. levyanum are very similar to C. serratum but differ, among other ways, in the much longer cells of their axillary hairs. Specimens of this species have been reported from China under the name C. cristatum Hampe, a synonym of Syrrhopodon loreus (Sande Lac.) Reese, which has not yet been found in China.

Illustrations: Reese & P.-J. Lin 1991 (figs. 1–7).