Aspicilia cinerea (cinder lichen) is a gray to almost white, 1.5–15 cm (0.59–5.91 in) wide, crustose areolate lichen with large apothecia that mostly grows on rock in the mountains.

[1] Flat to almost convex areoles are angular to irregular, and 0.2–2 mm in diameter.

[1] Each areole has 1–10, round to angular or irregular, 0.1–1.6 mm apothecia that may be confluent when numerous.

[1] Apothecia have usually black concave discs, with exciple margins of thallus tissue.

[1] Asci are club shaped (clavate), with 8 ellipsoid ascospores.