TYPE. UNITED STATES. “On various trees, and on rails, in Southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, and throughout Virgnia (Alexandria, near Richmond, and in Sussex County), where it becomes common. North Carolina, Rev. Dr. Curtis. South Carolina, Mr. Ravenel. Texas, Mr. Wright.” (Tuckerman 1862).
Life form. Lichenized fungus.
Description.Thallus crustose, thin, continuous or somewhat dispersed and weakly areolate; surface gray to green-gray or brownish-gray smooth, shiny; prothallus indistinct or a thin dark line at the margin of the thallus. Photobiont chlorococcoid alga. Vegetative diaspores absent. Ascomata lecanorine apothecia, rounded, sessile, 0.5-1.5 mm diam; disk light reddish brown to dark brown, often white pruinose; margin paler than disk, smooth, persistent. Exciple in section includes a hyaline thalline cortex surrounding a medulla filled with algae and textura intricata; hypothecium hyaline, hymenium hyaline, not inspersed; epihymenium reddish- brown, often granular from the pruina, K- or K+ weak purple-red. Asci 8-spored; ascospores hyaline, polarilocular, ellipsoid to obtuse ellipsoid, 10-14 x 5-7 μm, isthmus 4-6 μm wide. Conidiomata not reported.
Chemistry. Spot tests negative; no substances detected by TLCm .
Substrate and habitat. Corticolous on hardwood trees.
Distribution. Neotropical and eastern North America; in North Carolina found throughout.
Literature
Lendemer, J.C. & N. Noell. (2018) Delmarva Lichens: An illustrated manual. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Society28: 1-386.
Tuckerman, E. (1862) Observations on North American and other lichens. 2. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.5: 383-422 (original description as Lecanora camptidia).