Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.

Thallus: foliose, 0.5-4 cm in diam., adnate, subdichotomously to irregularly lobate lobes: irregular, elongate, plane to suberect, separate and often imbricate, 2-3 mm wide, 45-115 µm thick; apices: rotund, entire to irregularly cut or lobulate, often ascending upper surface: medium gray to brown or olivaceous brown, dull to shiny, smooth, not isidiate internal anatomy: with upper and lower cortices consisting of a single layer of irregularly isodiametrical cells 5-9 µm in diam., internally with loosely interwoven chains of Nostoc and hyphae lower surface: pale gray or brown, smooth, with scattered tufts of white hairs Apothecia: common, laminal, sessile to short stipitate, 0.2-2 mm wide disc: light brown to red-brown, concave margin: thalline, concolorous with the thallus, entire to minutely lobulate exciple: euparaplectenchymatous but obscure centrally, 10-35 µm thick centrally hymenium: hyaline below and thinly yellow to brown above, 75-115 µm tall; paraphyses: unbranched, c. 1.5 µm wide, slightly inflated apically; subhymenium: pale yellow, 25-45 µm thick asci: cylindrico-clavate, 8-spored ascospores: hyaline, submuriform, 3-septate transversely, 0-1-septate longitudinally, ellipsoid to subfusiform, 12-23 x 5-9 µm Pycnidia: not observed Spot tests: all negative Secondary metabolites: none detected. Substrate and ecology: usually on soil, often among mosses over calcareous rocks, more rarely on base of junipers and other shrubs World distribution: widely scattered in North America Sonoran distribution: Arizona and Chihuahua. Notes: Leptogium juniperinum is a small species in the L. azureum group, characterized by its small size and its medium gray to brown color, as well as the habitat.