The genus is characterised by its large, leafy structures covered with stiff, bristle-like hairs, giving the lichen a fuzzy appearance.

[3] Phylogenetic studies have shown that Hispidopannaria forms a monophyletic clade that is distinct from Pannaria and other genera within the Pannariaceae.

Together, Hispidopannaria and Phormopsora form a monophyletic clade that is sister to the genus Pannaria in some analyses, although this relationship can vary depending on the genetic markers used and the phylogenetic methods employed.

These thalli are composed of small, scale-like structures known as squamules, which are arranged vertically and grow from a dark underlying layer called the hypothallus.

Hispidopannaria also associates with cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) of the genus Nostoc, which form distinct structures called cephalodia scattered among the squamules.

Chemically, some species contain a secondary metabolite (lichen product) called pannarin, while others lack any detectable compounds.

Some specimens have been collected from deciduous Nothofagus pumilio forests and, in one instance, from the bark of the conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum.

It is endemic to Robinson Crusoe Island (formerly known as Más a Tierra) in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, which belongs to Chile.