The thallus of the lichen is a greenish, granular layer of fungal hyphae and algae on the soil around the base of the stipe.

[2] In 1978, Scott Redhead and Thomas Kuyper transferred it to the genus Botrydina,[3] and a year later—following changes to the rules for botanical nomenclature—to Phytoconis.

The thick gills on the underside of the cap are distantly spaced, usually with a decurrent attachment to the stipe, which itself is slender and cylindrical, measuring 19–51 mm (0.7–2.0 in) long.

[7] The thallus of the lichen is disc-shaped to angular, measuring 200–900 μm broad and forming a green, crust-like surface when crowded together.

[7] In Tasmania, it is typically encountered in sandy or peaty soil in heathland and woodland, and usually at higher elevations.