Cryptothecia punctosorediata
This crustose lichen has a thin, fluffy, greenish-white thallus, and produces farinose soredia from small, punctiform soralia dotting the surface. The thallyus is surrounded by a wooly, pale layer of fungal hyphae. This genus (as the name suggests) produces fruiting bodies which are . . . weird. They are very rudimentary and produce relatively few spores. They don't really fit into any of our neat-little categories for what a fruiting body (the part of the lichen that produces the spores) should look like. Classic lichen behavior. The fruiting bodies of C. punctosorediata look like little, chalky bumps in the center of the thallus. Thus far, C. punctosorediata has only been found in Thailand and Florida, growing on the trunks of tropical, hardwood trees. Weird right? Well it has probably gone overlooked throughout a lot of its habitat, or was introduced to Florida through ornamental or crop plants. As often goes with lichens, more work is needed to fully elucidate all the mysteries surrounding this little guy!
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