Plants with shoots 15 30 × 0.8 1.8 mm, prostrate with ascending apices, in mats or thick patches, green to reddish tinged. Stems soft and fleshy, 250 350 µm in diameter; branches few, intercalary or terminal; rhizoids numerous, from base of leaves, underleaves and scattered along stems, colorless to slightly tinged with red. Leaves approximate to imbricate, spreading, slightly concave, wider than long, 0.3 0.7 × 0.4 0.9 mm, shallowly 2-lobed with broad, obtuse lobes, the sinus less than 1/4 leaf length with ventral lobe slightly larger; median leaf cells 25 40 × 28 40 µm, marginal cells smaller (20 24 mu); cuticle smooth to slightly verruculose, walls thin, trigones large, bulging; oil bodies 3 5 per cell, ovoid to ellipsoid, 7 10 × 10 16 µm, granular. Underleaves lanceolate with acute to acuminate apices, free or narrowly connate to lateral leaf on one side. Sexual condition dioicous. Androecia terminal, becoming intercalary; bracts in 6 15 pairs, not differentiated from stem leaves, 2-lobed, not or only slightly concave with antheridia exposed in axils. Gynoecia terminal on main stem, often with subfloral innovations; bracts inserted on perigynium, similar to but larger than leaves, 2--3-lobed, undulate, surpassing length of perianth, hiding it; bracteole ovate to lanceolate, free, apex acute to acuminate, occasionally with lateral tooth; perianth conical, short, 700 1000 µm, mouth entire or irregularly lobed and crenulate; perigynium fleshy, as long as perianth or longer, 700 1200 µm, continuous with stem or at an angle to it, base with rhizoids. Sporophyte capsule globose, brown; elaters 2 spiral, brown. Spores 15 18 µm, finely granulate, brown.

Peaty soil or rock along streams; endemic, southern Appalachian Mountains of Ga., Ky., N.C., S.C., Va., W.Va.