Thallus fruticose, erect, tufted, rather small and delicate, 1-3.5 cm tall. Branches 1-1.5 mm wide at base, tapering towards apices, weakly dichotomously branching. Surface pale yellow at base and for 1-1.5 cm, blackened or banded black and yellow above, annulate-cracked and sometimes ± jointed, smooth, waxy, glossy, not or very rarely faveolate, rarely minutely papillate, sorediate. Soralia round to ± irregular, 0.01-0.5 mm wide, ± completely eroding, papillate at first, becoming convex-pulvinate-eroded, soredia fine, granular, not easily dispersed, blackened. Medulla very lax. Chondroid axis narrow 073-063 diam. of branch. Apothecia not seen. Chemistry: Cortex K-; medulla K-, C-, KC-, Pd-. Usnic acid.