Plants very robust, to 10 cm tall, densely caespitose in large cushions, usually golden-yellow throughout, sometimes duller brownish towards the base. Stems with a weak central strand, lacking a hyalodermis. Rhizoids moderately dense, variably papillose, reddish brown, basal and at intervals along stem. Leaves suberect, with an obcuneate hyaline sheathing base and triangular green upper lamina, to 5.25 mm long and 1.5 mm wide; margin plane, upper margin denticulate (single or double teeth) due to prorate cell ends; costa strong, not prominent abaxially, with a strong abaxial stereid band and no adaxial band; axillary hairs to c. 300 µm long, with 1–4 pigmented basal cells and 2–4 elongate hyaline cells; upper lamina mostly tristratose, with cells to 50 × 10 (–20) µm, strongly papillose, with low mounded papillae (formed from the combined prorate ends of adjacent cells); lower lamina unistratose, with cells elongate, to c. 160 × 10 µm, without rows of shorter quadrate cells at the alar margin.

Setae c. 2.5 cm long. Capsules suberect, ±globose, c. 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, smooth when dry; exothecial cells uniformly thickened, 10–20 µm diam. Peristome apparently single, of short pale fragile segments. Spores brown, reniform, c. 35 × 30 µm, finely and densely papillose.

One of the largest species of Bartramia in Australia, the size, colour and leaf morphology are sufficient to distinguish it from other taxa. Bartramia mossmaniana has a unistratose upper lamina and much longer leaves with a more open appearance and usually a green rather than golden colour, while B. robusta and B. hampeana subsp. hampei are generally smaller and less robust.

Restricted to the alpine areas of New South Wales and Victoria. Also in Argentina and South Georgia.

Grows in boggy sites and beside streams.

Bartramia subsymmetrica Cardot, Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 6: 8 (1906).
Type: Cumberland Bay, Jason Harbour, South Georgia, C.Skottsberg 328; lecto: BA; isolecto: S, n.v. [see Matteri (1984)]

Taxonomic synonym

Bartramia bogongia Catches., Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 45: 621 (1987).
Type: Mt Nelse Track, Rocky Valley Reservoir, Bogong High Plains, Vic., 25 Feb. 1986, G.A.M.Scott & B.A.Fuhrer s.n.; holo: MUCV 7155 n.v.; iso: AD, MEL n.v.

N.S.W.: near Rawson Pass, Mount Kosciuszko Natl Park, D.G.Catcheside 68.77 (AD); Guthries Ck, Mount Kosciuszko Natl Park, I.G.Stone 10329 (AD, MEL).

Vic.: Mt Hotham, D.G.Catcheside 69.196 (AD, MEL).

Previously believed to be endemic, B. bogongia has recently been placed in synonymy by Fransén (2004).

D.G.Catcheside, Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 622, fig. 2; 624, fig. 3h–k (1987).

Fransén, R. (2004). A taxonomic revision of extra-Neotropical Bartramia section Vaginella C.Müll. Lindbergia 29: 73–107.

Bell, G.H. (2012). Australian Mosses Online. 42. Bartramiaceae: Bartramia. http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/Mosses_online/Bartramiaceae_Bartramia.pdf 

First published as:  Bell, G.H. (2006). Bartramia in Bartramiaceae, Flora of Australia Volume 51. (Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra & CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne).