[2] Their sporophytes are only abundant in late winter and early spring, and appears as a red-brown shoot with long stalk and cylindrical capsules.

[2] This species mostly dominate in moist and damp regions such as swamps,[2] peatland and lake edges, as well as humus-rich woods, areas where water fluctuates periodically.

[1] They can be terrestrial or dominating woods and logs, they rarely grow on rocks and regions that lack moisture.

[2] This species is relatively widespread but not common, they are found in northern to central Europe and Asia, the South Island of New Zealand, and North America.

The attachment region of branch leaves to stem appears flat and continuous with the leaf outline, it is round to cordate and auriculate from the flexion of the margins.

The life-cycle starts with a haploid spore that germinates to produce a protonema, which are thread-like filaments or thalloid.

The gametophyte is formed from the caulonema buds and they undergo mitosis to produce haploid sex gametes (sperm and eggs).

The gametophores also produce specialized sexual structures that houses the sperm and eggs on separate gametophytes (since Climacium dendroides are dioecious).

The female structure produced is called the archegonia and are surrounded by a group of modified leaves known as the perichaetium.

Meiosis occurs in the sporangium and haploid spores are produced and released through the control of peristome teeth.

Sporophytes are not often found except during late winter and early spring near areas with plenty of moisture.