Thompson, J., 1997. American Arctic Lichens: The Microlichens.
Thallus crustose, indefinite, finely granular, greenish or olive-gray to yellowish white; reactions negative. Apothecia to 2 mm broad, round or angular, deeply concave; margin inrolled, usually coarsely divided into radiate sections and paler than disk; exciple radiate, with abundant algae, hyaline; disk pale orange-brown to brown; hypothecium pale yellowish; hymenium 60-90 /tm, with yellow-brown granules in epihymenium, hyaline, 1+ blue, sometimes turning violet-red; paraphyses 1.5-2 μm, tips thickened to 2-4 μm; asci irregularly cylindrical, as the spores may be uniseriate, partly biseriate, or biseriate; spores 3-septate, 15-21 X 4-5 μm.
This species is boreal alpine, growing on humus and moss. It is known from northern Europe and the Alps, and rarely from North America. The biseriate spore condition differs from that in G. foveolaris, G. friesii, and G. geoica, according to Lettau (1937).