First described in 1941, it forms pale ivory to greenish-gray leaf-like growths that attach loosely to tree bark or rocks.

The lichen has narrow, forking lobes that often curl inward, and produces powdery structures called soredia for asexual reproduction.

Though originally discovered in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, it has since been found across tropical and temperate regions worldwide, including Mexico, South America, East Africa, China, and Papua New Guinea.

The type specimen was collected from Mount Le Conte in Tennessee, growing on Rhododendron stems at an elevation of 1,910 m (6,270 ft).

[2] Mason Hale and Michael Wirth elevated the taxon to full species status in 1971, based on its distinctive chemical properties, smaller size, and its apparently endemic distribution in the southern Appalachians.

[4] William and Chicita Culberson later transferred the species to Cetrariastrum (1981) when they determined that Everniastrum—the genus in which it was previously placed—was nomenclaturally invalid.

[12] In the southern Appalachian Mountains, it is most frequently encountered at high elevations, though nowhere in its range does it occur in great abundance.

[5] It grows primarily as an epiphyte on hardwood trees, particularly Prunus, Rhododendron, Acer, and Betula, and less commonly on conifers like Abies and Picea.

[5] Molecular phylogenetic analysis confirms that populations from different continents belong to the same evolutionary lineage despite their disjunct distribution.