Galapagos Species Database

Thallus thin, often partially embedded in the bark, continuous to rimose, pale creamy white, grayish or ochraceous, ± the same color as the substrate; surface smooth, matt, not pruinose; Apothecia erumpent, breaking through the thallus surface, ±lirellate; lirellae broad, short to elongate, with pointed, tapering ends, sparsely branched; labia thin, inconspicuous, almost entirely covered by thick, smooth thallus layer; disc expanded, initially ±concave and ±immersed, but soon flattened, pruinose; exciple thin, weakly and irregularly carbonized, carbonization not increasing with age, typically surrounded by distinct thallus layer; hymenium hyaline, inspers, I–; ascospores pale gray, brownish with age, I+ red or reddish brown, 8 per ascus, oblong to broadly fusiform, 30-40 x 10-12 µm, transversally septate, 6-8(-10) celled. Chemistry: Stictic and constictic acid, K+ yellow (no crystals), C–, P+ orange.

The broad, poorly branched, often relatively short lirellae with pointed ends breaking through the thallus surface are conspicuous. Phaeographis dendritica can be similar, but contains norstictic, not stictic acid.