First described in 1991 by the Canadian lichenologist Irwin M. Brodo, this lichen is characterised by its very thin, yellowish-white body (thallus) that partially embeds into tree bark.

O. gowardii has small, powdery structures (soralia) that produce asexual reproductive granules, and its disc-like fruiting bodies (apothecia) with pale yellow-orange to light orange centres.

O. gowardii can be found in parts of northwestern North America and Scandinavia, typically growing on subalpine fir or Norway spruce trees.

The holotype was collected in Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada, where it was found growing on Rocky Mountain fir (Abies lasiocarpa).

It is partially embedded in the bark (endophloedal) and features scattered, irregularly shaped soralia—structures that produce powdery asexual reproductive granules (soredia).

The discs of the apothecia are pale yellow-orange to yellowish-pink or light orange and are usually coated with a coarse, powdery substance (pruina), especially when young.

Ochrolechia gowardii has been recorded in several locations within the northern Rocky Mountains, including British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, and parts of Idaho and Montana in the United States.