Plants moderate-sized, soft, loosely tufted, slender, capitulum flat-topped to rounded; pale, dirty green, yellowish to brownish; without metallic lustre when dry. Stems brown to reddish brown; superficial cortical cells usually aporose, but some have a single round to elliptical pore in the distal portion of the cell free from the cell wall. Stem leaves triangular-lingulate, 1.2--1.6 mm, broadly apex acute to narrowly truncate and toothed, border narrow or indistinct at base (less than 0.25 the width); hyaline cells rhomboidal, mostly 0--1-septate; convex surface with membrane pleats, concave surface with 1--3 rounded membrane gaps occupying most of cell. Branches somewhat 5-ranked. Branch fascicles with 2 spreading and 1--2 pendent branches. Branch leaves ovate-lanceolate, 1.3--2 mm, strongly concave, apex strongly involute; margins entire to somewhat toothed near apex, hyaline cells on convex surface with numerous ringed elliptic pores (6--10) along commissures, concave surface mostly aporose except near margins; Sexual condition dioicous or monoicous. Spores 21--23 µm; minutely papillose.

Shady, seepy cliffs; in the flora area America only from the Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C; e Asia.

Sporophytes have not been seen. Three other large, brown species of sect. Acutifolia have stem leaves without fimbriate to lacerate apices, S. subnitens (forms without red color) , S. subfulvum, and S. flavicomans. Sphagnum flavicomans has a more pointed stem leaf and a darker brown color as well as a strongly different ecology and range. Both S. subnitens and S. subfulvum have a glossy sheen when dry that is lacking in S. junghuhnianum. Sexual condition and spore characters from H. A. Crum (1984).