It exhibits the common features of the genus Andreaea such as being acrocarpous, having dark pigmentation, lacking a seta, and bearing 4 lines of dehiscence in its mature sporangia, but can be further identified upon careful examination of its gametophytic leaves which have an ovate base to a more blunt apex compared to other similar species.

[11] In contrast to most bryophytes which have a filamentous protonemal stage, Andreaea rupestris have thalloid protonema that give rise to the leafy shoot of the gametophyte.

[7][6][15] Andreaea rupestris are typically found in cooler climates on surfaces or fissures of dry, siliceous, exposed rock such as granite.

[10][16] Compared to other species in their genus, they can withstand a wider variety of moisture levels and are better at surviving in drier conditions.

[5] They have been found to grow with other species of their genus such as Andreaea nivalis , A. blyttii, A. rigida, A. crassinervia, A. rothii ssp.

[7] More specifically, they have been confirmed in Canada,[10] the United States,[16] Norway,[17] Britain, Ireland,[11] Kazakhstan,[18] Korea,[19] China,[7] Japan,[20] Central America, New Zealand, Antarctica[11] and more recently in 2018, Greece.

The protonema then gives rise to the leafy gametophyte which houses the male and female organs also known as the antheridia and archegonia, respectively.

Andreaea rupestris are autoicous, meaning that their male and female organs exist on separate branches within the same gametophyte.