Stems to ca. 3 cm, mostly shorter. Sexual condition autoicous. Seta to 2 cm, straight to somewhat flexuose, smooth, red or reddish brown, occasionally yellowish brown. Capsule brown, 1--1.5 mm, inclined, ovoid, becoming ± wrinkled when dry; operculum to 0.3 mm; peristome evenly spaced, lanceolate, divided nearly to the base into 2(--3) filaments, smooth to papillose or sometimes ± striolate. Spores densely and finely papillose, occasionally roughened, 30--45(--48) µm.

Capsules mature summer--fall. A calciphilic species of sandy soils, calcareous rocks and ledges; Greenland; Alta, B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., Que., Yukon; Ala, Calif., Colo., Mich., Minn., Mont., Nev., N.Y., N.Dak., Utah, Wis., Wyo., Mexico; Eur.; Eurasia; e c and n Asia; Arctic

This species is similar to D. capillaceum and D. hagenii, differing from the former in the inclined, ovoid capsule, shorter stems, more closely set leaves, and larger spores. It differs from the latter primarily by features of the peristome: the peristome teeth of D. hagenii have a basal membrane and the teeth are arranged in 8 irregular but separated groups of 2 teeth each, rather than the 16 evenly spaced teeth of D. inclinatum and D. capillaceum.