[1] It is a large genus, containing an estimated 300 species,[2] with a centre of diversity in subtropical regions of South America and the Pacific Islands.

[4]: 83 Parmotrema is characterized by its typically large, moderately to loosely-attached foliose thallus with broad lobes that are usually more than 5 mm wide.

There is a broad, naked zone around the margin of the lower surface, an epicortex with pores and an upper cortex with a palisade-plectenchymatous arrangement of hyphae.

[8] Several genera previously segregated from Parmotrema have since been folded back in owing to molecular phylogenetic evidence, including Canomaculina, Concamerella, Parmelaria, and Rimelia.

When mixed with pine sap or with water, or when first burnt to ash, lichens can provide a variety of colors such as yellow, brown, green, orange, purple, and red.