Phascum

Autoicous or paroicous. Asexual propagules absent. Small scattered plants or turves on soil. Stem simple or often branched by innovation, with rhizoids in a basal tuft; central strand absent or present; sclerodermis absent; hyalodermis absent. Leaves becoming larger toward stem apex, oblong, elliptic, ovate, lanceolate or obovate, at least lower leaves spreading from capsule, otherwise erect when moist, twisted, incurved or scarcely altered when dry; apex obtuse, acute or acuminate, with or without a hairpoint; costa excurrent, with quadrate or rectangular adaxial superficial cells, with rectangular or elongate abaxial superficial cells, with an abaxial stereid band,  with a hydroid strand, with a differentiated adaxial epidermis, with a differentiated abaxial epidermis; margin entire, revolute, recurved or plane, without a border; laminal cells in apical half quadrate, pentagonal, hexagonal or rhomboid, sometimes more elongate near apex, pluripapillose or rarely smooth, with yellow KOH reaction; basal laminal cells differentiated equidistant from base from margin to costa, rectangular, smooth. Acrocarpous. Capsules erect or pendent, ovoid to globose, with a blunt apiculus, immersed or emergent, cleistocarpous. Calyptra small, cucullate or occasionally mitrate, smooth, glabrous. Operculum absent. Peristome absent.