TYPE.  CANADA. British Columbia. Clearwater Valley, kame terrace north above Philip Creek, 51°52.182' N, 119°58.825' W, on branch Pseudotsuga, 1000 m, 2009, T. Goward 09-642 with J. Hollinger (UBC, holotype; CANL, GZU, H, isotypes).

Description. Life form: lichenized fungus.

Thallus thin, rather papery, loosely appressed to often in part trailing and with conspicuously upturned tips, up to 4-8 (-10) cm across; branching at first even, becoming distinctly uneven in older portions of thallus; lobes hollow. First tier (peripheral) lobes: elongate, readily divisible into main lobes and numerous rather short lateral accessory lobes, these without basal constrictions, scarcely if at all branched; broadest lobes 1.5-3 (-8!) mm wide, ± uniform in width, usually contiguous (substrate not visible toward thallus periphery), sometimes looser, the outermost ones scarcely if at all broadened or paw-shaped; lobe tips weakly concave to in part weakly convex, usually proliferating in twos and threes. Second tier (interior) lobes: at most sparse, not much different from peripheral lobes, usually not ascending. Upper surface: whitish to pale pastel green, mostly rather dull, not blackening where exposed, without black mottling, usually not flecked with incipient brown pycnidia at the tips, weakly rugose at thallus periphery, often becoming more or less transversely pitted and ridged toward the thallus centre, occasionally bearing low rounded "papillae" that mark the position of resorbed pycnidia (see below), usually weakly concave at the tips, becoming strongly convex toward the thallus center. Medullary ceiling: white, except here and there dark brown in the vicinity of old ruptures in the lower surface. Lower surface: black; very thin, easily torn, sharply winkled or folded. Cortical perforations: absent or rare; if present, then forming over the lower surface just behind lobe tips, up to 0.5-1 mm across, at most only weakly inrolled at the edges. Vegetative propagules: absent or very rare; if present, then laminal, taking the form of "explosion soralia," these capitate, consisting exclusively of fungal hyphae. Apothecia: over upper surface, rather common, more or less scattered, usually well developed, stalked, the stalks pale or often bearing a black incrustation in upper portions, generally initially broadest at the base, tapering upwards, later flaring more or less upwards to the expanded disk; disk concave, pale brown to dark brown, the largest ones (2-) 3-6 (-8) mm across; ascospores ellipsoid, averaging 7.1 (± 0.6) ×5.6 (± 0.5 μm) µm, Q = 1.22 (± 0.09), N = 55 / 4. Pycnidia: sparse to abundant over the upper surface near lobe tips, forming tiny black or dark brown dots, these paler and becoming resorbed toward the thallus centre, at some point in part leaving tiny black pits, later sometimes replaced by sparse low papillae; conidia not observed.

Chemistry. Spot tests: cortex K+ yellow, KC-, C-, PD-; medulla K- (except K+ slowly reddish pink (after 30 minutes!), KC+ reddish (flash), C-, PD-. Lichen substances: Atranorin (localized in upper cortex), physodic acid (major, constant), 2-O-methylphysodic acid (submajor, constant), unknown C8 (submajor, constant) and vittatolic acid (major to trace, constant).

Substrate and ecology. On the branches and trunks of trees, especially conifers, but also Betula papyrifera. Apparently restricted to humid inland regions. Currently known only from low forested elevations.

Distribution.  known, so far recorded only from southern intermontane British Columbia.