Thallus verrucose to cracked-areolate, pale to dark grey, usually rather thick, but sometimes almost immersed. Apothecia sessile or somewhat immersed, 1-2.5 mm diam., frequently with a faint, white pruina at edge of excipulum.. Excipulum thick, of densely interwoven, heavily sclerotized cells, strongly thickened at base. Laterally the excipulum consists of more distinctly reticulate, largely anticlinally arranged hyphae. Hypothecium blackish-brown, of vertically arranged hyphae. Asci cylindrical, stalked, spores uniseriate 45-55 × 5-7 µm. Ascospores broadly ellipsoid, dark brown, 14-19 × 8-11 µm, the surface finely striated, but also with a few irregular cracks. Chemistry: The thallus contains atranorin and usnic acid and reacts K+ yellow to reddish-brown, C-, Pd+ yellow.