TYPE. GERMANY. Flörke s.n. Clad. exs. 5 [G, lectotype designated by Ahti (1993)].

Description. Lichenized fungus.

Thallus squamulose to dimorphic. Primary thallus squamulose, persistent; squamules very small, 0.5 x 3 mm, yellowish green above, abundantly white sorediate on margins and below. Podetia usually absent; when present 1-7 mm tall, 0.5-1 mm thick, yellowish, unbranched or sparsely branched, clublike, not forming cups; base orange-yellow. Podetial surface corticate, continuous, smooth to verruculose or sorediate in patches, rarely squamulose. Photobiont trebouxioid alga. Ascomata biatorine apothecia, frequent, red, up to 2.5 mm diam., on podetial tips; ascospores narrowly ovoid, 8-11 x 3.5-4 μm. Pycnidia on primary squamules, ovoid, 0.2-0.25 mm diam.; pycnidial jelly red; conidia curved, 6-8 x 1 μm.

Chemistry. Cortex K-, KC+ gold, C-, PD-; medulla UV+ white, K-, KC-, C-, PD-; usnic, didymic and squamatic acids.

Substrate and Habitat. Lignicolous on decaying wood.

Distribution. Western Europe, east Asia, eastern North America; in North Carolina found throughout. 

Literature

Ahti, T. (1993) Names in current use in the Cladoniaceae (lichen-forming Ascomycetes) in the ranks of genus to variety. Pp. 58-106 in Greuter, W (ed.): NCU-2. Names in Current Use in the Families Trichocomaceae, Cladoniaceae, Pinaceae, and Lemnaceae. Regnum Vegetabile, Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein, Germany.

Ahti, T. (2000) Cladoniaceae. Flora Neotropica 78: 1-362.

Brodo, I.M., S. Duran Sharnoff & S. Sharnoff. (2001) Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven & London. 795 pp.