D. alba has a widespread distribution, found in North and Central America, Asia, and Europe, typically growing on tree bark in humid forests.

This lichen is distinguished by its thin, greenish thallus (body) and its spores, which are divided into many cells and arranged in chains, features that give the genus its name.

Initially, the genus was classified within the group Dictyosporae, section Hyalostilbelleae, family Stilbellaceae, order Moniliales of the fungi imperfecti.

[3] The type specimen of D. alba was collected on the bark of Fagus grandifolia (American beech) in Chocorua, New Hampshire, by William G. Farlow in September 1904.

Specimens of this fungus had previously been identified as Stilbum glomerulisporum, a name that was later considered a nomen nudum (invalidly published) by Stanley Hughes in 1953.

[3] Initially, D. alba was described as a fungus that grows on tree bark and produces specialised spore-bearing structures called synnemata (singular: synnema), which are upright, stem-like formations composed of fungal threads (hyphae) that bear spores at their tips.

However, further research published by Paul Diederich, Zdeněk Palice, and Damien Ertz in 2008 revealed that C. ananas is actually the same species as D. alba.

It forms a continuous, matt surface and lacks a distinct outer skin (cortex), making it very thin and irregular in development.

[3] When cultured on 2% malt agar, D. alba forms restricted, slow-growing, compact, velvety to cottony colonies that are sterile and orange-grey in colour with a brown reverse.

On oatmeal agar, the colonies show concentric zones of shades of brown, lightest near the inoculum and darkest at the margin.

The lichen is frequently observed at the shaded base of tree stems, suggesting a preference for more humid and sheltered microhabitats.

In Asia, it has been found in the Primorsky Krai region of Russia, growing at the base of oak trees in a forest with an open understory.