Leaves with distal lamina sometimes weakly papillose abaxially; awn smooth; lamellae (0--)8--14 cells in height, irregularly lobed, often bearing filaments. Capsule stegocarpous, exerted, short- to long-cylindric, annulus present, operculum cells in twisted rows; peristome present, fragile and often adherent to the operculum. Calyptra cucullate.

Capsules mature late winter, spring. soil, rock faces; 500--1400 m; B.C., Nun.; Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Nev., Utah; Europe; Asia.

The operculum is clearly long-conic when dry, while that of P . ovatum is linear. The peristome may be trellis-like (illustrated by S. Flowers (1973) or a rudimentary arrangement of small plates over a membrane (R. H. Zander 1993: 202).