Thallus squamulose, very closely attached to substrate, in ± rounded or closely spreading patches, 2-10 cm diam., on a fine, black, minutely fibrous, closely attached prothallus which may extend 2-4 mm beyond margins of squamules. Squamules very closely appressed, flattened, smooth, lobate-crenate, rounded and scattered at margins, becoming rosette-shaped 1-2 mm wide, coalescing into a closely attached, ± imbricate mosaic centrally, apices and margins of squamules slightly thickened, ± whitish pubescent, pubescence very short, minute, appearing "frosted", pale greenish, yellow-green to brownish or pale glaucous, matt or ± shining, paler at margins, glossy, smooth. Cephalodia large, lobate-crenate, to 3 mm diam., flattened, placodioid, smooth to ridged-striate, pale blue-grey or blackened to bluish-brown, ± frequent at margins, laminal or marginal on squamules or growing directly on hyphae of prothallus, often concolorous with thallus when dry, with a faint blue-black cast. Apothecia sessile, closely attached to squamules or projecting above, ± central, sparse to numerous, round to irregular, 0.2-1.0 mm diam., margins thick, inrolled, striate-crenate, concolorous with thallus, disc matt, plane, dark brown or black, occasionally with small thalline lobules centrally or disc ± obliterated by concentric rings of thalline tissue, epruinose. Ascospores large, (12-)17-24 × (9-)12-14 µm.

Thallus squamulose, closely attached, in compact rosettes, often confluent in mosaics, 1-3 cm diam., bordered by a short, black, byssoid prothallus, 1-2 mm wide. Squamules minute, 0.2-1.0 mm diam., round to irregular, concave to plane to subconvex, margins entire, slightly thickened, often secondarily lobulate and dispersed at margins, coalescing, imbricate centrally, forming a diffract-areolate crust, prothallus visible between areolae, yellowish to pale whitish at margins, whole thallus superficially blackened, smooth to coriaceous, shining, waxy, epruinose. Cephalodia frequent, scattered, marginal on squamules, occasionally laminal or on hyphae of prothallus, ± rosette-shaped, dark purplish-grey, rising above squamules, wrinkled-plicate, smooth to slightly granular. Apothecia sessile, frequent centrally, rarely marginal, round to irregular, 0.5-1.5 mm diam., disc brown-black, plane to subconcave, matt, epruinose, margins thin, pale or concolorous with thallus, crenulate. Ascospores ellipsoid to subglobose, 12 µm diam., or smaller, 4-6 × 3 µm.

Thallus squamulose, closely attached, irregularly spreading 4-8(-10) cm diam. Squamules minute, scattered at margins, 0.5-1.0 mm diam., round to irregular, coalescing centrally into a ± dense, flat, appressed mosaic, often microphylline or sublobulate, often diffract-areolate centrally, ± continuous, convex, plane or concave, jigsaw-like. Prothallus black, byssoid, thick and fibrous or thin, to 5 mm beyond marginal squamules. Upper surface pale greenish or yellow- green, margins not or rarely white-frosted, glossy, waxy, smooth, ± shining, without pruina or tomentum or crystals. Cephalodia infrequent, occasionally larger than squamules, flattened, to 1 mm diam., placodioid, very shallowly wrinkled-plicate, smooth, shining, pale bluish-grey when wet, or in small, flattened globules 0.1 mm wide, occasionally laminal, normally marginal or between squamules, sometimes striate, purplish to brown. Apothecia sessile, round to irregular, 0.5-2.5 mm diam., disc red-brown, matt, not pruinose, convex to plane, sometimes contorted, etched, or confluent-convolute with thalline lobules, margins relatively thick, inflexed, crenulate-striate, wavy, thalline exciple areolate. Ascospores 13-22 × 9-11 µm.