Thallus dwarf, to 8 mm tall. Pseudopodetia simple, erect, finger-like, occasionally bifurcating at apices, nodular-papillate at first, becoming terete, corticate, cortex continuous, sometimes horizontally cracked, smooth or wrinkled, often shining, greyish-white below, becoming purplish-brown above and mottled, with small, black pycnidia at apices. Phyllocladia absent. Cephalodia basal, cerebriform and slightly convoluted, greenish-black, surface rather scabrid. Apothecia terminal, disc black 1-5 mm wide, deeply concave at first becoming persistently plane at maturity with a prominent, raised, pale, red-brown margin, thalline exciple smooth or wrinkled, red-brown. Hypothecium 60-75 µm thick, red-brown. Ascospores broadly fusiform, 6-8-septate, 30-50 × 4-7 µm Chemistry: Atranorin, protocetraric and fumarprotocetraric acids.