Primary squamules very small to moderately large, to 3 mm long and 1 mm wide, persistent or disappearing, upper surface greyish, lower surface white. Podetia 10-80 mm tall, filiform, 0.3-0.5(-0.9) mm diam., greenish-grey to brown towards tips, dying base becoming brownish-grey to black, unbranched or rarely dichotomously branching, branching more abundant if tips damaged, apices subulate, rarely with cups, cups 0-2(-4) per podetium, 0.5-1(-2) mm wide, regular to irregular, occasionally laterally flattened, relatively deep, with dentate (often 7-8 teeth) margins. Cortex areolate, areolate usually slightly elevated, alternating with rather wide, white or brown medullary patches and lines, and with a greyish tomentum on younger and shaded parts. Central canal often extremely narrow, absent from thinnest podetia, when present, surface minutely fibrillose-striate, some old podetia long-hairy internally. Apothecia 1-3 mm wide, pale to dark brown. Chemistry: Cortex K-, KC-, Pd+ red. Fumarprotocetraric and protocetraric acid.