Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2002. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 1.
Thallus: fruticose, stalked, caespitose, roundish to irregular in outline, c. 5-20 mm in diam., lobules terete, richly branched surface: black attachment: by thick compact rhizoidal strand that forms a stalk Apothecia: rare, immersed to semi-immersed, lecanorine, small, up to 0.2 mm wide; disc: immersed, flat, reddish brown, with thick smooth persisiting thalline margin; exciple lacking; hymenium: 150-200 µm high, hyaline, non-amyloid; paraphyses: distinctly septate, branched and anastomosing, apical cells indistinctly thickened asci: 8-spored ascospores: simple, hyaline, globose to broadly ellipsoid, (9-) 12.5-15 x 7.5-10 (-12.5) µm; old ascospore walls: 2.5 (-5) µm thick Pycnidia: immersed, simple, pyriform, up to 0.15 mm high and 0.075 mm wide conidia: cylindrical, hyaline, 3-5 x 1 µm Spot tests: all negative Secondary metabolites: none detected. Substrate and ecology: on limestone or calcareous volcanic rock, often on steep rock faces; coastal to montane World distribution: SW North America, Australia Sonoran distribution: SW Chihuahua and Baja California Sur. Notes: This species is very distinct because of its caespitose branching pattern. In juvenile thalli terete lobules do not develop and the thallus surface appears ± tessellate. Such small, juvenile thalli resemble Paulia myriocarpa, but that species always has a distinctly effigurate margin while Phloeopeccania that has small, roundish to angular fungal cells.