[1] It is a member of the genus Pseudephebe, a lichen group characterized by dense mats of brown to near-black "hairs".

It is usually distinguished from P. minuscula due to P. pubescens preferring a moister habitat, and its branches are more terete and lack the irregularities of P.

[3][4] Pseudephebe pubescens is a fruticose lichen that forms decumbent mats made of isotomic-dichotomous branching thalli.

[7] Pseudephebe pubescens is found specifically on acidic or silicate rocks in temperate-alpine or sub-arctic regions.

[1] It has circumpolar sightings, being found from the Canadian territories, throughout the United States, and sometimes in alpine Mexico.