Barbula caninervis (Mitt.) Jaeg., Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1871–72: 453 (Gen. Sp. Musc. 1: 301). 1873. Tortula caninervis (Mitt.) Broth., Nat. Pflanzenfam. I(3): 435. 1902. Grimmia cucullata J.-X. Luo & P.-C. Wu, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 18: 121. f. 2: 1–7. 1980, hom. illeg. Syntrichia desertorum (Broth.) Amann, Fl. Mouss. Suisse 3: 39. 1933. Barbula desertorum (Broth.) Par., Index Bryol. 71. 1894. Tortula desertorum Broth., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 34: 24. 1888.

Plants small to medium-sized, to 1.5(–2.0) cm high, in dense tufts. Stems erect, usually simple; central strand present. Leaves appressed to contorted-curved when dry, spreading or somewhat reflexed when moist, oblong-ligulate to spathulate, rounded-obtuse at apex, upper lamina broadly channeled or keeled, weakly sheathing at base; margins strongly revolute, crenulate by projecting papillae; costa rather stout, often reddish brown, excurrent, ending in a rather long awn, often serrulate on the back and at tips; upper leaf cells subquadrate to hexagonal, more or less thin-walled, each cell densely covered with several C-shaped papillae; basal cells distinctly differentiated, rectangular, thin-walled, hyaline, smooth. Autoicous. Setae ca. 1 cm long, straight; capsules erect, cylindrical; opercula conic-rostrate, with a long oblique beak.

Type. China: Tibet, Thomson 174 (holotype NY).

Chinese specimens examined: NEI MONGOL: He-lan Shan (Mt.), Z.-G. Tong s.n. (HKAS). SICHUAN: De-ge Co., J.-L. Yang 2044 (HKAS). XINJIANG: Tian Shan (Mt.), J.-C. Zhao 2817c (HKAS). XIZANG: Ba-su Co., M. Zang 2050 (HKAS); Ban-ge Co., K.-Y. Lang 1276, 1287 (HKAS); Cha-yu Co., S.-G. Wu 1092 (HKAS); Zhong-ba Co., R.-F. Huang 2097 (HKAS); Zhu-mu-long-ma-feng (Mt. Everest), X.-G. Wang 9, 20 (MO, PE).

Habitat: on rocks or soil; also on grassland; Distribution: China, Mongolia, Russia (Siberia), central and southwestern Asia, Europe, and North America.

Illustrations: C. Gao (ed.) 1996 (Pl. 83, figs. 1–3, as Tortula desertorum).