Plants small. Leafy stems unbranched, 1–4 mm. long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide; axillary hyaline nodules weakly diffeentiated. Leaves in 5–12 pairs, linear lanceolate, narrowly acuminate, about 2.7 mm × 0.25 mm, base of dorsal laminae narrow, slightly decurrent; vaginant laminae closed, acute at apex; limbidia weak, composed of narrowly elongated cells all round leaf, 1–2 rows of cells on dorsal and apical laminae, 2–4 rows of cells on the vaginant laminae; costa shortly excurrent; laminal cells smooth, thin-walled, rhomboidal to hexagonal, 7–15 µm long in apical laminae, more elongated at base, especially near costa, where they may be up to 25–40 µm long. Autoicous. Perigonia on short branches from leaf axil at middle of stems; antheridia about 250 µm long. Setae terminal, reddish-brown, up to 6.5 mm long. Capsules erect, symmetrical. Calyptrae smooth.

Type. India: Assam, Tea Dept. 1194 (named by Hampe as F. subbryoides, holotype BM).

Chinese specimens examined: YUNNAN: Teng-chong Co., S.-M. Yu 1289 (HKAS, NICH); Xishuangbanna, Meng-la Co., L. Chang 660 (HKAS, NICH); Meng-lun area, L. Zhang 773 (IBSC, NICH); east part of Tropicial Botanical Garden, L. Zhang 800 (IBSC, NICH).

Habitat: on soil or rocks; Distribution: China, India, and Fiji.

Fissidens subbryoides is distinguished by having very narrow leaves with limbidia on apical, dorsal, and vaginant laminae.

Illustrations: Gangulee 1971 (Fig. 214).