1a Stalks tipped with bright red apothecia
1b Stalks tipped with brown apothecia or apothecia lacking
2a Stalks richly branched (generally branched more than 5 times over the length of a mature individual), the branch tips pointed
2b Stalks simple to few-branched, pointed, blunt or tipped with cups
3a Thallus wholly of erect to prostrate stalks, lacking squamules; habitat mainly subalpine to alpine
4a Thallus yellowish brown to brownish, or yellowish green, occasionally purplish brown; stalks blunt
5a Thallus yellowish green; podetia branched
5b Thallus yellowish to brownish; podetia branched or not
4b Thallus white to cream; stalks pointed
3b Thallus differentiated into a basal, crustose to squamulose primary thallus and an erect secondary thallus (podetia); habitat various
6a Podetia unbranched, short (generally < 1.5 cm), mostly naked and ending in a brown to pinkish apothecium; primary thallus continuous, warty-squamulose
6b Podetia unbranched or branched, short or tall, often bearing squamules or soredia; primary thallus squamulose, generally persistent but sometimes disappearing