K. G. Limpricht, Laubm. Scorpidium W. P. Schimper, Syn. Limprichtia L. Loeske. Plants medium-sized to very robust, sometimes turgid, green, brownish yellow, brownish to blackish red or red.
Branch leaves smaller than stem leaves.
Dioicous or autoicous. Contrary to Hamatocaulis species, they have normally got at least a weak central strand in the stem, except in very weak plants. Although S. scorpioides superficially looks very different from the other two members of the genus, these differences are mainly found in characters, such as size and leaf shape, that affect the appearance of the plant to the naked eye. On the other hand, microscopic features of, e.g., stems, alar cells, and exostomes that are critical in understanding the relationships of this species are the same as in S. cossonii and S. revolvens . Scorpidium scorpioides is thus an example of a species with a number of autapomorphies that are easily visible to the naked eye, in a genus where the two other members have a more generalized appearance.