Type locality coordinates: Data lacking.

ITS barcode: Data lacking.

Description: Lichen. Thallus basal parts caespitose, apical parts pendent, to 20 cm long, pale greyish to pale brown, sometimes dark brown, usually with a pink or violet hue, basal portions sometimes blackened, blackened fragmentation regions occasionally in whole thallus. Branching isotomic dichotomous, towards the base with obtuse angles, distinct main branches towards the apices with acute angles, small lateral, perpendicular, spinulose branches sparse to abundant. Soralia sparse to abundant, tuberculate, white to greenish white. Pseudocyphellae usually present, white, inconspicuous. Apothecia rare, to 2 mm diam.; disc brown, becoming convex. Spores ellipsoid to subglobose, 5-7 x 3- 4 μm. Pycnidia not seen in Nordic material.

Photobiont: Data lacking.

Chemistry: Cortex and medulla C+ red or C—, K+ yellow, KC+ red, PD+ yellow; alectorialic and barbatolic acids, sometimes atranorin. Soralia PD+ red; fumarprotocetraric acid.

Ecology: Especially on Picea, but also on Pinus and Betula, sometimes on rock faces. An old forest indicator.

Distribution type: Widely distributed but absent from large areas in the south, the north and along the west coast. Locally common in SE Norway and Central Sweden, especially in Dalarna and Värmland, in Finland very scarce. Europe, Africa, Asia, Hawaii, North America.

Taxonomy: Data lacking.

Note:

--> Distribution Database: Distributions

Distribution Database: Discover Life

Picture Database: Tropical Lichens

Molecular Database: Genbank

Synonym Database: Index Fungorum

Synonym Database: Mycobank