Phlyctis argena (Whitewash lichen)

Phlyctis argena (Spreng.) Flotow

Whitewash lichen, blemished lichen

This lichen is native to Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

Identification: The name “whitewash lichen” is certainly fitting—this looks like dull white paint. It may also be grayish or green-gray. It occurs in a thin layer (crustose) on tree bark (corticolous), on many different deciduous and some cone-bearing trees, in both open and sheltered conditions. It is found on red maple and cedar, for example. It does not have any apothecia (fancy lichen talk for fruiting bodies).

Habitats: An epiphyte that grows on the bark of deciduous trees, especially Salix cinerea and Fraxinus excelsior. It also occasionally grows on stone, such as gravestones.

Online References:

Stephen Sharnoff Photography

The Stridvall Family Domain

References:

Walewski, Joe, Lichens of the North Woods, Kollath+Stensaas Publishing, 2007, p. 103

3/19/2024 · Whippoorwill Woods, East Freeport, Maine

12/13/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 4½″ (7.9 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

5/2/2023 · Brunswick Town Commons, Brunswick, Maine

4/3/2010 · Birch Point Beach State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine · ≈ 1¾ × 1¼″ (4.7 × 3.1 cm) ID is uncertain

12/13/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.2 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

4/29/2024 · Otter Creek Trail, Devil’s Back, Orr’s lsland, Maine

4/14/2015 · Pinelands, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)

12/13/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

1/1/2012 · Big Tree Trail • Tudor Richards Natural History and Forest Trail, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

9/17/2016 · Mount Desert Island, Bar Harbor, Maine

5/2/2023 · Brunswick Town Commons, Brunswick, Maine

11/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 4½″ (7.9 × 11 cm)

9/17/2016 · Mount Desert Island, Bar Harbor, Maine

Kingdom	Fungi	Mushrooms, lichens, gel fungi, yeasts, and molds; also called eukaryotes
Division	Ascomycota	Sac fungi
Subdivision	Pezizomycotina	Sac fungi with filaments
Class	Lecanoromycetes	“Lichenized” fungi
Order	Lecanorales	Mostly lichen-forming fungi
Family	Phlyctidaceae
Genus	Phlyctis
Species	argena

About plant names...

Phlyctis argena description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.