The thalli of oakmoss are short (3–4 cm in length) and bushy, and grow together on bark to form large clumps.

The colour of oakmoss ranges from green to a greenish-white when dry, and dark olive-green to yellow-green when wet.

In parts of Central Italy, oakmoss has been used as for biomonitoring the deposition of heavy metals at urban, rural, and industrial sites.

Studies of bioaccumulation for zinc, lead, chromium, cadmium, and copper in lichen samples were performed five times at regular intervals between November 2000 and December 2001.

[3] Its use in perfumes is now highly restricted by International Fragrance Association regulations, and many scents have been reformulated in recent years with other chemicals substituted for oakmoss.