Thallus: adnate, foliose, 2-7 cm in diam.; lobate; lobes: narrow, sublinear, elongate, contiguous to imbricate, plane, 1-3 mm wide; apices: subrotund, ciliate; cilia: simple, up to 0.7 mm long; upper surface: whitish to pale greenish gray, smooth, shiny, epruinose, emaculate, isidiate; isidia: cylindrical to branched, eciliate; soredia and isidia absent; medulla: white; lower surface: black, densely rhizinate, rhizines black, simple to sparingly furcate; Apothecia: very rare, laminal, sessile, 1-4 mm diam.; margin: crenate, isidiate; disc: brown; ascospores: simple, broadly ellipsoid, 12-17 x 8-10 µm; Pycnidia: rare, laminal, immersed; conidia: cylindrical, 3-5 x 0.5 µm; Spot tests: cortex K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P+ yellow; medulla K-, C+ rose, KC+ red, P-; Secondary metabolites: upper cortex with atranorin and chloroatranorin; medulla with gyrophoric acid (major), 5-O-methylhiascic, lecanoric and umbilicaric acids (all minor), 4,5-di-O-methylhiascic and 2,4,5-tri-O-methylhiascic acids (both trace).; Substrate and ecology: frequent on bark in woodlands, rare on rock; World distribution: pantemperate in North Ameica, Europe; Asia and Australasia; Sonoran distribution: SE Arizona and in the Sierra Madre Occidental region of Chihuahua and Sinaloa. 

Canada

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Reasons: This lichen species is common on exposed trees and rocks and along roadsides in the southeastern United States. It occurs from Ohio to Pennsylvania south to Florida and Texas. In West Virginia it occurs throughout the state (Flenniken 1999).