Thallus irregularly rosette-forming to ± straggling, decumbent, 8-12(-20) cm diam., loosely attached, terricolous or amongst basal branches of subalpine shrubs or tussocks. Lobes 1-5 cm long, 4-8 mm wide, tubular-inflated, hollow, ± terete, rarely flattened, sometimes ± erect, more usually decumbent, sparsely dichotomously branched, without adventitious lobules, upper surface smooth, whitish or spotted black, with ± extensive blackened patches, apices brownish, matt. Perforations large 1-2.5 mm diam., rather sparse, not sorediate. Lower surface black or white-maculate, wrinkled, eperforate. Apothecia rare, pedicellate, cupuliform, 0.5-5 mm diam., disc shining, red-brown, epruinose, concave to plane to convex-deformed, exciple shining, wrinkled-faveolate, margins crenate-striate, concolorous with thallus. Ascospores 2 per ascus, 30-33(-45) × 18-20 µm, wall 3 µm thick. Chemistry: Stictic, constictic, norstictic (tr.) and menegazziaic acids and an accessory substance; medulla K+ yellow → orange, C-, KC+ orange, Pd+ orange.