Stats

Lifespan: Up to 30 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate deciduous forest
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Spores
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

A pale grayish-green foliose lichen that grows in flat, lobed patches on tree bark and rocks across eastern North America. Its surface is roughened by tiny granular isidia that break off to seed new lichen colonies, giving it a speckled, sandpaper-like texture.

Life cycle

1.
spore
A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2.
mycelium
A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3.
fruiting body
A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Parmeliaceae
Genus: Punctelia
Species: Punctelia rudecta