Plants yellow-brown in nature. Spores densely low spiculose-papillose.

Capsules mature late fall to spring. Soil, among grasses, pastures; low to moderate elevations; Calif., Iowa, Kans., Mass., N.Y., N.C., Okla., Tenn., Tex.; Europe, Asia, Africa.

It may be suspected that young plants of both varieties have at times smooth, somewhat elliptic spores. Texas, Bastrop Co., Bastrop, F. McAllister, Feb. 1934 (A. J. Grout, North American Musci Perfecti 258--UBC) has spheric, heavily papillose spores, 40--45 µm. Specimens with partially smooth spores but a few large granules adherent or scattered through the spore sac (e. g. Oregon, Lane Co., Eugene, Alton Baker Park, D. Wagner 1834, Mar.9, 1978--UBC) are here placed tentatively with the typical variety. A specimen from Iowa: Poweshiek Co., Conard & Peck v.11.35 (MO) has leaves blotched red in KOH and, variably among capsules, weakly papillose to distinctly crowded-spiculose spores.