Thallus epilithic, of concave areoles, finely cracked, pale white-grey, soft and scabrid, pruinose; prothallus black, delimiting; photobiont Trentepohlia.  Apothecia white to pale pink, in low mounds like perithecia, 0.4-0.6 mm diam., thalline margin pale grey, disc pink, poriform, not deeply sunken, slightly concave, not separated from the thallus by a crack; hymenium 110-144 µm high; epihymenium K-, N-.  Ascospores 14-17 X 8-12 µm.

On limestone rock, montaine; rare.  Scotland (Braemar). Europe, N. America.

It resembles a Pertusaria on limestone.  Closely resembles H. epulotica which is +/- endolithic, with usually smaller apothecia.