Thallus orbicular to spreading, often rosette-forming, 5-10(-12) cm diam., ± closely attached or often with margins ± free. Lobes rounded, contiguous to imbricate or shallowly laciniate, undulate, margins entire or ± phyllidiate, ± crisped-sinuous, subascendent, variously notched or incised, occasionally with pock-like to ± linear, yellow pseudocyphellae. Phyllidia occasional, small, 0.1-0.6 mm tall, fragile, denticulate to subcoralloid, concolorous with thallus or brownish above, yellow-gold, corticate or decorticate below, marginal, often dense in older parts, rarely laminal. Upper surface dark bluish-purple when wet, pale blue or greyish-fawn when dry, conspicuously maculate (×10 lens) especially at apices and margins of lobes, shining, smooth or shallowly faveolate, without soredia, isidia or pseudocyphellae. Medulla yellow. Photobiont blue-green. Lower surface pale yellowish-buff, at margins darkening towards centre, uniformly short-tomentose-pubescent, tomentum pale buff, fine, silky. Pseudocyphellae sparse, yellow, convex, projecting above tomentum, 0.1-0.3(-0.5) mm diam., round to subirregular. Apothecia not seen. Chemistry: Pulvinic dilactone, pulvinic acid, calycin, and a mixture of stictanes.