Thallus verrucose, of scattered 0.1-0.2 mm granules, glaucescent or white to bone-white. Apothecia to 0.8 mm broad, at first flat and marginate, becoming convex and immarginate, grayish black, bare, dull; exciple exterior dark bluish green, brownish at base, radiating and inspersed with yellowish granules; hypothecium brown or reddish brown, brighter in KOH, hyphae perpendicular; epihymenium greenish to blue or bluish brown, inspersed with small yellowish granules; hymenium 60-100 μm, not inspersed, 1+ blue; paraphyses quite lax, tips slightly thickened; asci davate; spores biseriate, hyaline, ellipsoid with rounded tips, 10-15 x 5.5-7 μm.

Reactions: thallus K—, C+ yellow-orange (sometimes fleeting).

Contents: two xanthones (Anderson 1974).

This species is found growing on pebbles in alpine wind-blown habitats. It is known from Europe in the Alps and in Scandinavia, from Siberia, and from Colorado.

Anderson (1974) noted that in his Colorado material the thallus was greenish to yellow-green or yellow-white and the apothecia were commonly gray pruinose.