Dwarf Haircap moss

Female plant with setae. P. nanum resembles a small Aloe, with short, stiff, dark green, triangular leaves arranged in a rosette-like tuft on short, stout, reddish stems. The shoots are less than 1 cm tall and most conspicuous when crowned by male inflorescences or sporophytes. Individual leaves are 3 to 4 mm long. Capsules are commonly produced on a 3 to 4 cm tall reddish seta, and provide the only reliable means of identification. The short, almost spherical capsule of P. nanum is distinct from the upright, shortly cylindrical capsule of P. aloides. In P. aloides, the capsule wall is very pale, whereas in P. nanum it is mid-green when unripe. The calyptrae of both species are densely hairy.