Brachytheciastrum paradoxum

Autoicous. Loosely to densely interwoven mats on soil, rocks or tree trunks or stumps. Stems to at least 90 mm long, prostrate, ± pinnately branched, yellow-brown, covered with pale brown rhizoids, central strand present, branches 3–17 mm long. Stem and branch leaves slightly differentiated; cells linear, 60–105 μm long, 6–8 μm wide, smooth; alar cells irregularly quadrate to short-rectangular, 10–35 μm long, 7–18 μm wide, forming a poorly defined group. Stem leaves falcate-secund, ovate-lanceolate, 2–3 mm long, c. 0.5 mm wide, plicate, not concave, scarcely altered when dry; costa extending c. 2/3 leaf length, ending in stout abaxial spine; apex acuminate, without a hair-point; margins denticulate at least near apex, sometimes nearly to base, plane or weakly recurved towards base, without a border. Branch leaves strongly falcate-secund to nearly circinate, ovate to broadly ovate, 1–1.5 (–2) mm long, 0.25–0.7 mm wide, plicate; apex obtuse-apiculate to acuminate; margins denticulate at least near apex, sometimes to near base, plane or one or both sides partly or completely reflexed or recurved. Setae 10–22 mm long, papillose, red-brown. Capsules inclined to horizontal, oblong-ovoid, curved, c. 2–2.8 mm long. Operculum umbonate, 0.4–0.7 mm long.