The underside is covered by light brown tomentum and rhizines except on raised areas that correspond to the depressions on the upper surface.

Fungal fruit bodies (ascocarps), rarely present, are small dark red discs with a thick inflexed margin.

[1] Thallus lobes grow away from the substrate in irregular patches as in L. pulmonaria but unlike the more regular rounded and flattened colonies of L. quercizans, L. amplissima and L. virens.

In southern England, which may be representative of lowland western Europe, Lobaria species are very restricted in their distribution, in part because of a history of air pollution, forest loss and fragmentation but also because the climate is sub-optimal with relatively low rainfall.

In contrast the cool, moist and mountainous regions of north west Scotland have a relatively high frequency of L. scrobiculata on suitable trees.