Thallus small, fruticose, brown, paler in shaded interior of the cushion-like mass; the tips coralloid, the branching irregular; sides with many fine white hairs; cortex 3-4 cells thick; interior hyphae longitudinally oriented and radiating out into the branches. Apothecia unknown.

This species grows among mosses in moist situations. It is known from Europe and from North America in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Alaska.

Global occurrence: Eurasia – Asia Extratropical | Eurasia – Europe | Americas – North America (incl Mexico) | Eurasia – Asia Tropical | Arctic.  Substrate: bryophytes – mosses, liverworts | bark, cork, plant surface – trunks, branches, twigs.  Life habit: lichenized (mutualistic with algal photobionts).  Thallus: foliose (foliaceous), leaf-like; continuous, diffuse, effuse; [th] upper surface: green(ish) | brown(ish) (if pale: fawn, tan; if mid: cinnamon) | green(ish) grey | white(ish) grey | grey(ish) white; [th upper surface]: epruinose; [th marginal and upper surface] specific structures: present; [th margin] cilia, cilioid structures: absent; [th upper surface] isidia, isidioid structures: absent; [th upper surface] soredia, soralia, soralioid structures: absent; [th] morphol substructures (eg areoles, lobes, branches) width [mm]: (low) 5.0 (high) 10.0 (max) 15.0; [th] morphol substructures (eg areoles, squamules): contiguous, coherent (throughout the thallus); [th] morphol substructures (eg areoles, lobes, branches) upper surface: smooth, plane | uneven, undulate; [th] lower surface: brown(ish) (if pale: fawn, tan; if mid: cinnamon); [th lower surface] specific structures: present; [th lower surface] rhizines, rhizoid structures: present.  Ascomata: absent | present; ascoma: apothecial, apothecioid – hymenial; ascoma: sessile, superficial; [ascm, if apoth] disc, mazaedium: strongly concave, excavate, urceolate | concave | plane, flat, flattened, expanded; [ascm, if apoth] disc, mazaedium: brown(ish) (if pale: fawn, tan; if mid: cinnamon) | red(dish) brown (if pale: orange brown) | brown(ish) red (carneous); [ascm, if apoth] disc, mazaedium: epruinose; [ascm, if apoth] margin surface; [if perith] periostiolar area, ostiole, involucrellum: green(ish) | brown(ish) (if pale: fawn, tan; if mid: cinnamon) | white(ish) grey | grey(ish) white; [ascm] paraphyses/-oids: present.  Asci: lecanoralean; [asc] tholus: thickened; [asc] tholus amyloidity (iodine reaction): present; [asc] tholus amyloidity pattern: with amyloid cap (= Icmadophila-, Lecidea-, Pertusaria-types etc).  Ascospores: (median) 8.0; [asp] shape: elongate-fusiform, ellipsoidal-fusiform | filiform, vermiform; [asp] septa: present, transversely septate; [asp] transversal septa: (low) 1.0 (high) 7.0; [asp] pigmentation: hyaline, colourless | pale brown; [asp] perispore, epispore: not apparent.  Conidiomata: absent | present.  Conidia: cylindrical | bacilliform, bacillary.  Secondary metabolites: present.  Primary photobiont: present, chlorophytaceous – trebouxiaceous, chlorococcoid.  Secondary photobionts (eg in cephalodia): absent | present.