Thallus lobulate-squamulose, very closely attached to substrate, concrescent, spreading in irregular humped patches, to 8 cm diam., without a prothallus. Squamules tumid or ascending, crowded, 1-3(-4) mm diam., coalescing, densely imbricate, rounded, humped or lobulate, surface smooth, coriaceous or waxy, ± glossy, occasionally paler and minutely pubescent at margins, sometimes striate-cracked, pale greenish-buff in shaded situations (among tussock), yellow-brown, cinnamon to dark red-brown or chestnut-brown or grey-black in exposed sites on soils or scree. Cephalodia rather rare, grey-brown or grey-black, wrinkled, convolute to congested-squamulose, at base of squamules, rather smaller than squamules. Lower surface greenish-white to pale buff or brownish, with a faint pale pubescence. Apothecia 1-10 mm diam., sessile, ± immersed in squamule crust to ± subpedicellate, round to irregular, scattered to densely packed, congested, disc matt, red-brown, shallowly to deeply convex to subundulate, not pruinose, gyrose-etched or fissured, margins thick, conspicuous, crenate-striate, thalline exciple verrucose-areolate, ± pale and often minutely pubescent. Ascospores variable, ± spherical to ellipsoid, 15 µm diam., to 15-22 × 10-15 µm.