Thallus: pendent, flaccid except at the base, 20-40 (-80) cm long, with a persistent base; branching: mainly isotomic dichotomous, frequent from the base, axils acute or obtuse, often rounded; branches: terete often becoming compressed and angular to foveolate towards the base and at the axils, 0.5-2.0 (-2.5) mm diam.; surface: greenish gray to bright golden yellow, sometimes becoming striately blackened in parts; lateral spinules: absent; soredia: in irregularly tuberculate soralia, rare in North American material; pseudocyphellae: white, abundant, conspicuous, raised, elongate fusiform to ovoid and tuberculate, clearly delimited, usually c. 1 mm long; Apothecia: often abundant, lateral; thalline exciple: concolorous with thallus, usually persistent; disc: orange-yellow to dark brown or black, 2-3 (-5) mm in diam.,; asci: clavate-ovoid, 2-3 (-4)-spored; ascospores: ellipsoid, simple, 23-35 (-48) x (12-) 15-20 (-25) µm; Pycnidia: sometimes frequent, mainly apical, up to c. 2.0 mm diam., black and shining; conidia: not seen; Spot tests: cortex K-, C-, KC+ yellow, P-, UV- (sometimes K+ red, C+ green-black near the base); medulla K- (rarely K+ yellow), C- or slowly becoming yellow, KC+ red or KC-, P- (rarely P+ yellow), UV+ ice-blue or UV-; Secondary metabolites: cortex with usnic acid, and occasionally an unidentified K+ red, C+ green-black substance; medulla usually with alectoronic acid (major), thamnolic, squamatic and barbatic acids (all accessory) but a common chemotype lacks all secondary metabolites except usnic acid.; Substrate and ecology: on a variety of conifers, particularly in moist, lowland forests along the west coast, less often inland; World distribution: central and northern Europe, North America and South America (Patagonia); Sonoran distribution: probably extinct, reported from collections in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California in 1929. 

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: Known from three continents; occurs in North America, Patagonia in South America, and central and northern Europe (Brodo et al. 2001, Nash et al. 2002). Alectoria sarmentosa is reportedly common on trees in the boreal and mountainous regions of North America (Flenniken 1999). In eastern North America it ranges from eastern Canada and New England south to higher elevations in North Carolina (Flenniken 1999). In western North America, it is more common in moist lowland forests along the coast and occurs less often inland (Nash et al. 2002).