Thallus orbicular to spreading, 5-8(-12) cm diam., rather loosely attached. Lobes rather rigid, 1-2.5 cm wide, separated by shallow incisions or the still broader main lobes, 3-4 cm long, margins ± ascending especially towards apices, ragged, densely and irregularly crenulate, phyllidiate. Upper surface brownish-yellow to greenish-brown or dark red-brown, matt, ± faveolate, with dense, low interconnecting ridges lacking soredia, ± phyllidiate. Phyllidia marginal, flattened, often eroded at apices and appearing spuriously yellow-sorediate. Medulla white or pale yellow-white. Photobiont blue-green. Lower surface tomentose to margins, ± pale ochraceous-yellow at margins, dark brown to black centrally. Pseudocyphellae yellow, frequent, 0.3-0.5 mm diam., verruciform or flattened. Apothecia sparse to ± frequent, laminal, rarely marginal, disc 1-2 mm diam., concave or ± plane, smooth, dark brown or blackish, matt, margins pale, smooth or subdenticulate, thalline exciple ± tomentose. Ascospores polaribilocular, brown, 25-30 × 8-10 µm. Chemistry: Pulvinic dilactone, pulvinic acid, calycin, methyl virensate, physciosporin (5-chloromethylvirensate), hopane-6α,7β,22-triol, hopane-7β-22-diol (±), 6α-acetoxyhopane-7β,22-diol (±), 7β-acetoxyhopane-6α,22-diol (±), stictic (in c. one fifth of cases this is replaced by salazinic acid), constictic and norstictic acids.