G. repens is a low, white or silvery turfed moss that grows on bare ground in low rainfall areas. The normal leaves are minute (c. 0.5mm) and lacks a nerve. When fertile, the capsules are nested amongst modified leaves called perichaetial leaves, which in this species are much larger and more pointed than the normal leaves. The hemispherical capsules are straw-colored and have a gaping mouth. When it was first discovered G. repens was mistaken for a vascular plant belonging to the Aizoaceae.