Plants in shiny, bright-green, reddish-brown, or dark-brown mats. Stems up to 16 mm. Stem leaves oblong lanceolate to narrowly-lanceolate, 1.5--2.3 mm, gradually narrowed to narrowly acute or acuminate, sometimes serrulate apex, not rugose or undulate; costa percurrent; distal laminal cells 6--8 µm wide, irregularly quadrate to rounded-elliptic. Seta 3--5 mm. Capsule 1.4--2 mm.

Logs, trunks of trees to 8 m; extremely rare and probably restricted to undisturbed hemlock-hardwood zone; moderate elevations; endemic to southern Blue Ridge Escarpment; N.C.

This species differs from S. rugifolia in having non-rugose, gradually acute leaves.