Thallus fruticose to subpendulous, 5-10(-30) cm tall, glaucous-greenish to reddish, pale at base. Branches tapering towards apices, terete, rather stout towards base, 1-2.5 mm diam., spinules and fibrils often giving a bristling appearance to branch, papillae sparse or absent, tubercles sparse to numerous, pseudocyphellae on tubercles, punctiform on plane cortex, isidia produced on cortex and from pseudocyphellae, soralia absent, or sparsely and rarely from pseudocyphellae. Cortex glossy, glaucous-greenish to olivaceous with red pigment deposited in cortex. Apothecia not seen. Chemistry: Salazinic, norstictic and usnic acids. Type material contains stictic, constictic, norstictic (tr.) and usnic acids.