They have a similar shape with the stem leaves, both are egg-shaped but branch leaves are narrower. For the branch leaves, they are narrower and has a toothed margin near the tip with longitudinal folds. Their insertions are well-spaced and all have round tips. They are not pleated and near insertion area they contain multiple laminal cells. The stem leaves appears to have an obtuse apex, flatter against the stem and broader then the branch leaves. They also have separate stem and branch leaves with different structure. The colour of this plant is dark green to yellow, and they can be glossy as well when they are dry. They can also be found in some regions in Asia, like Japan and Korea. In North America, it can be found in the Northeastern region above 45°N, and as south as the Western regions of New Mexico. 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. They are often found in sea-level to subalpine elevations and in alpine tundras. They can be terrestrial or dominating woods and logs, they rarely grow on rocks and regions that lack moisture. This species mostly dominate in moist and damp regions such as swamps, peatland and lake edges, as well as humus-rich woods, areas where water fluctuates periodically. Their sporophytes are only abundant in late winter and early spring, and appears as a red-brown shoot with long stalk and cylindrical capsules. The leaves are around 2.5-3 mm long, with rounder stem leaves and pointier branch leaves. They have yellow-green branches at the tip of stems. They often have stems that are around 2-10 cm tall and growing in the form of patches, looking like small palm-trees. This plant was identified by Weber and Mohr in 1804. The species name 'dendroides' describes the tree-like morphology of the plant, and its genus name came from the structure of the perforations of peristome teeth. It is identified as a 'tree moss' due to its distinctive morphological features, and has four species identified across the Northern Hemisphere. Climacium dendroides, also known as tree climacium moss, belongs in the order Hypnales and family Climaciaceae, in class Bryopsida and subclass Bryidae.

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