Stems: 3–8 cm; cortical cells small, walls thick; pseudoparaphyllia few; rhizoids few, in clusters just below leaf insertion, smooth. Leaves: crowded, upturned-homomallous particularly near branch ends, scarcely altered on drying, concave, 1–2 × 0.5–0.8 mm; alar cells enlarged, yellow-brown, walls thick, region in several rows of cells, concave; basal laminal cell walls pitted; medial cells linear, 55–95 × 5–8 µm, walls moderately thick. Seta: 1.5–3.2 cm, flexuose. Capsule: reddish orange-brown, 1.7–3 mm, slightly wrinkled when dry; endostome segments not or narrowly perforated along keel. Spores: 10–18 µm, yellow. Phenology: Capsules mature fall–winter.
Logs, stumps, conifer and hardwood forests, base of trees, soil, rock, forests. low to moderate elevations. B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Ariz., Conn., Del., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Ky., La., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis., Europe, Asia.
Callicladium haldanianum grows in flat or loose extensive mats that are usually devoid of other species. The plants are distinguished by their concave leaves, short double costa, curved nearly erect capsules, and sword-shaped, shortly tapered, somewhat flattened branches.