Autoicous. Plants small to medium sized, gregarious, bright green. Stems to 4–11 mm tall, sparingly branched or unbranched, yellowish or reddish brown, in cross-section with a well-defined central strand. Leaves erect-spreading when moist, inrolled and somewhat contorted when dry, oblong-obovate, acute, 2.0–3.0 (–3.8) mm long, weakly concave; costa subpercurrent, green, c. 60–75 µm wide near the base; margins plane, bluntly serrate above by projecting cell ends, or occasionally almost entire. Upper laminal cells oblong-hexagonal, c. 45–69 × 26–30 µm in mid-leaf, becoming longer below and more regularly oblong; marginal cells narrower and somewhat longer but not forming a distinct border; c. 4–6 cells inflated but poorly differentiated at the alar angles. Axillary filaments present, with 1 or 2 stalk cells and an oblong terminal cell.

Perigonia terminal and overtopped by a perichaetial innovation. Calyptra often becoming split on one side, covering c. 1/3 of the capsule, falling early. Setae 3–15 mm long, reddish brown. Capsules erect, globose-pyriform, usually constricted below the mouth when dry, 1.0–1.5 (–1.8) mm long, 0.9–1.2 mm wide, yellowish brown, with a neck to 1/3 the capsule length; mouth equal to the capsule in diameter, flaring when dry; exothecial cells oblong-hexagonal or irregular, firm-walled, not thickened at the corners, several rows isodiametric or oblate at the mouth; operculum plano-convex, shortly and obtusely rostrate; stomata immersed; annulus a single row of round thinner-walled cells that are smaller than adjacent suboral cells, persistent. Spores 27–39 µm, uniformly spinose.

Occurs in S.A., N.S.W., Vic. and Tas. This bipolar species is also found in New Zealand, Europe, North Africa, Siberia, south-west Asia and North America.

Physcomitrium pyriforme (Hedw.) Hampe, Linnaea 11: 80 (1837); Gymnostomum pyriforme Hedw., Sp. Musc. Frond. 38 (1801). Type: Europe; n.v.

Physcomitrium conicum Mitt., in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Tasman. 2: 197 (1859). Type: Leiths Ck, Tas., Archer; NY-Mitten.

Physcomitrium subserratum Hampe, Linnaea 30: 623 (1860). Type: Dargo, Vic., 1855, “No. 58”; isotype: MEL.

Tas.: South Trig Direttissimo, Mt Wellington Ra., 11 Oct. 1979, A.V.Ratkowsky.

A.J.Fife & R.D.Seppelt (2012), Australian Mosses Online 67. Funariaceae. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Version 2 October 2012.