Gowardia arctica is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), fruticose (bushy) lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in arctic regions of Northern Canada and Russia, it was formally described as a new species in 2009 by Pekka Halonen, Leena Myllys, Saara Velmala, and Heini Hyvärinen. The type specimen was collected from Banks Island in Swan Lake (Inuvialuit, Northwest Territories); here, at an elevation of , it was found growing among mesic mountain heath. It also occurs along the Arctic Ocean coast (and associated islands) of Russia. The lichen is richly branched, black to black-brown in colour (regions close to the base may be lighter), and reaches up to in diameter. It contains alectorialic acid and two other unknown lichen products.