Cladautoicous. Asexual reproduction by cylindric or fusiform gemmae on leaves, rarely on rhizoids or with rhizoidal tubers (not in Victoria) or asexual propagules absent. Loose to dense cushions or tufts. Stems ascending to erect, usually branched. Leaves terete-foliate, monomorphic, erect-spreading when moist, erect and appressed or contorted when dry; apex acute, acuminate, obtuse or rounded, sometimes mucronate (not in Victoria) or piliferous (not in Victoria); costa subpercurrent, rarely excurrent (not in Victoria); margin entire, recurved, rarely plane (not in Victoria), without a border; laminal cells in apical half isodiametric, rarely oblong (not in Victoria), papillose or sometimes smooth (not in Victoria); basal laminal cells rectangular, smooth, with thin or slightly incrassate and rarely ± nodulose walls. Acrocarpous. Calyptra mitrate, split at base, hairy or glabrous. Capsules immersed to emergent, rarely exserted (not in Victoria), 8- or rarely 16-ribbed when dry; stomata immersed, often limited to the urn base, occasionally spreading across the neck. Peristome double, single or absent (not in Victoria); exostome of 8 pairs of teeth or 16 independent teeth, occasional vestigial or absent (not in Victoria), erect to reflexed when dry; endostome of 8 or 16 segments (not in Victoria) or absent.
