Thallus tufted or subpendulous, rather polymorphic, 2-6(-10) cm tall. Erect or straggling, holdfast delimited and rounded, corticolous, occasionally saxicolous. Branches 2-5 mm wide at base, tapering apically, pale yellow-green to greenish-grey, shortly tufted and much divided, ± terete apically, elsewhere ± flattened, surface undulate or shallowly faveolate, smooth, waxy or dull without pseudocyphellae, occasionally minutely striate (×10 lens), sorediate. Soralia mainly marginal also occasionally laminal, rounded to irregular, in concave depressions with flaring undulate margins, to convex, discrete, or becoming confluent, 0.5-4 mm diam., soredia green-white, farinose. Apothecia (not seen in New Zealand material) rare, sublateral rarely apical, disc markedly convex at maturity. Ascospores straight, 8-15 × 5-7 µm. Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ brown, C-, KC+ brown-purple, Pd+ orange. Protocetraric acid.