[1] The type specimen was collected near the village Nazinovo in the Nazhinovskaya Shida River valley (Ishimbayevo district, Southern Ural) at an altitude of 223 m (732 ft).

[2] Physconia rossica has a greyish-brown to brown, orbicular to irregular thallus measuring 2 to 4 cm (0.8 to 1.6 in) in diameter that is fairly loosely attached to its substratum.

The few rhizines on the underside are whitish to pale brown and feature branching that is either simple (i.e., unbranched) to fasciculate (arranged in bundles).

Its distribution also extends into Europe, as it occurs in the Ural Mountains (Bashkortostan) as well as the Russian Plain in Perm Krai.

The lichen grows over mossy rocks and soil in open areas, typically in calcareous habitats.