ASCOMYCOTA | LECANOROMYCETES > LECANORALES > Lecanoracea

Genus Lecanora, meaning 'beautiful small bowl' - from the shape of the apothecia

Common name:            Members of the genus collectively known as 'rim lichens'

Synonym:                    -

Primary habitat:            Wayside trees

Usual substrata:            Bark

Growth form:                Corticolous

Thallus:                  Crustose

Apothecia:                    Lecanorine

BLS identity rating:        Graded 4/5 (microscopic examination required)

Thallus whitish-grey to grey, which can be smooth or rough, but often warty and areolate, prothallus indistinct; apothecia up to 1mm dia., disc typically pinky-brown, beige-brown or orange-brown, faintly pruinose, margin concolourous with the thallus.

Although officially listed and recorded by the BLS, there is very little information about this lichen as in most cases it's overlooked as Lecanora chlarotera and, indeed, the photos featured here could very well be that species. The only way to positively identify Lecanora hybocarpa is under a microscope to check for large crystals in the thalline margin and coarse brown granules, which extend below the epithcium and into the upper part of the hymenium - a step too far for me!

My tentative inclusion here is purely based on the general appearance, notably the colour of the apothecia, their size and the way they're scattered, all of which look rather similar to photos I've seen. They were all found on exposed wayside young oak trees along the same footpath, which is in line with the typical habitat where the species has been officially recorded. The final photo shows apothecia that have been attacked by a parasitic fungus, possibly Vouauxiella lichenicola.