[3] The Teloschistes capensis is a type of fruticose, or shrubby, lichen, typically growing upright and ranging from 3 to 8 cm in height.

These main branches are sometimes marked by longitudinal stripes or grooves and have a texture that ranges from dull and smooth to slightly hairy.

In their early stages, these apothecia look like small, orange-red bumps and develop into either flat or slightly concave discs.

The discs are orange-red, typically darker than the rest of the thallus, and are surrounded by a prominent margin covered with numerous long, yellow to orange fibrils.

The ascospores, which are the reproductive cells produced by the asci, are two-celled, and their shape ranges from ellipsoid to almost spindle-like.