Plants to 10 mm. Stem leaves erect-appressed when dry, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 2--3 mm, bluntly cuspidate or sometimes irregularly obtuse or acute; margins recurved to broadly revolute, incurved and serrate at apex; distal laminal cells 8--13 µm wide, 1-stratose, with two, small conical papillae; basal laminal cells narrowly rectangular, grading to quadrate at margin, non-nodose. Sexual condition goniautoicous or cladautoicous. Seta less than 1 mm. Capsule ± emergent or rarely immersed; urn oblong to oblong-cylindric when old, 1.3--2 mm, 8-ribbed entire length; stomates immersed in proximal 1/2 of capsule, 1/2 to completely covered by subsidiary cells; peristome double; endostome segments 8, composed of 1--2 rows of cells, papillose, sometimes coarsely so; exostome teeth 8, reflexed, densely and evenly papillose. Calyptra oblong-conic, hairy, hairs papillose, deeply plicate. Spores 14--24 µm.

Bark of Quercus or Populus tremuloides; ± 3000 m; Ariz.; Mexico; Central America (Guatemala).

The channeled, cuspidate apex of the mature leaves distinguishes this species from all other species with immersed stomates. The sporophytic characters strongly resemble those of O. tenellum; however, the latter species has non-channeled, incurved leaf tips