Plants small, moss-like, compact, prostrate, mat-forming; stems repeatedly branching. Leaves dimorphic, bronze when rehydrating and midgreen when fresh; median (dorsal) leaves small, overlapping, ovate to lanceolate in outline, apex acuminate, margins hyaline, closely clasping the stem, up to 1.6 mm long; lateral leaves large, prominently overlapping, angled forward at c. 60° to the stem, elliptic in outline, apex acute, margin hyaline, minutely ciliate, otherwise glabrous, up to 2 x 1.2 mm. Strobili at the tips of the branches, suberect, up to 3 mm long, monomorphic; sporophylls similar to the median leaves, set in 4 ranks.

culverwellii: named after J. Culverwell, who first found this fern in the Lebombo Mountains, Swaziland.

Thin soils on the margin of flat, exposed rock areas, in the lee of grass clumps, 445-670m.

See African distribution.

South Africa, Swaziland.

Terrestrial.