Thallus ashy, K—, poorly developed to disappearing, granulose to small squamulose. Apothecia adnate, to 1.5 mm broad; margin conspicuously different from disk, pale gray to blue-gray pruinose, entire or flexuous; disk flat, yellowish, yellow-orange, or olive, more or less pruinose; hypothecium hyaline; epihymenium yellowish, K+ reddish; hymenium hyaline, 35-80 µm, upper part yellowish; paraphyses septate, branched at upper ends, tips capitate to 5 µm; spores polarilocular, hyaline, ellipsoid, 10-17 X 5—10 µm, septum 5—6 µm.

This species grows on humus, moss, old organic materials, including bones, and on soil. It is circumpolar arctic-alpine, ranging south to New England in the East, to Minnesota, and in the West to New Mexico.

See the discussion under C. cerina, to which this is related.