Leaves long-elliptic or ligulate, base not differentiated in shape or little wider than distal leaf, shoulders absent, distal laminal margins incurved to involute or rolled, apex broadly channeled, acute to rounded, rarely weakly cucullate, mucro usually weak, of 1--3 cells; costal adaxial stereid band smaller than the abaxial; distal laminal cells 8--10 µm wide. Sexual condition autoicous or paroicous. Seta elongate, 0.5--0.7 cm. Capsule stegocarpic, ovoid to short-cylindric, operculum differentiated, falling, peristome absent or rudimentary.

Capsules mature spring. Dry soil, rocks, wet crevices, shaded areas; 1000--2000 m; Ariz., Calif., Colo., N.Mex., Tex., Utah.

This species has long-elliptic leaves with base little wider than the distal lamina, or occasionally even narrower, leaf apex broad, rounded-acute, distal laminal cells sometimes relatively large (like those of W. sharpii), to 10--13 µm wide, and the capsule is eperistomate or with rudimentary peristome teeth. Specimens identified as the synonym W. andersoniana differ somewhat by distal laminal cells bulging on both sides and papillae centered or on a pedestal, leaves ligulate; complete intergradation, however, occurs in degree of bulge on both sides of the distal laminal cells, and the degree of centering of the papillae, which grade from low to spiculose, occasionally on a pedestal. This species is much like Trichostomum planifolium in the leaf shape but has strongly involute distal laminal margins and distal lamina ca. 12--18 cells across on one side of the costa versus plane to laxly involute distal margins and distal lamina 25--30 cells across one side in T. planifolium.