Lecanora albellula

Lecanora albellula is a species of crustose lichen in the family Lecanoraceae. It grows tightly attached to the bark and wood of trees in both coniferous and mixed forests. First described in 1866 by the Finnish lichenologist William Nylander from material collected in Russian Lapland, it is widely distributed across Asia, Europe, and North America. The species is easily recognised by its pale, finely granular thallus—which can appear somewhat wart-like—and its small, round, light brick-coloured apothecia. Its name, referring to its whitish appearance, is based on traditional morphological observations used to distinguish it from similar species. Research has refined the understanding of L. albellula through both modern genetic studies and detailed chemical analyses. These studies have clarified its placement within a well-defined clade of related lichens and revealed that some North American specimens previously identified as this species actually represent a closely related taxon, pr......read more on Wikipedia.