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Punctelia caseana Lendemer & Hodkinson
Powdered Speckled Shield; Forest Speckleback

Photo © Don Hunter, Cobb Co., 26 December 2017
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Federal Protection: No US federal protection

State Protection: No Georgia state protection

Global Rank: G5

State Rank: SNR

Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: No

SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No

SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No

2025 SGCN Priority Tier:

Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 0

Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Pine – hardwood woodlands, hardwood forests


Description

Pale to medium green foliose thallus, some with brown edges, lobes 2-6 mm wide, dotted with pale maculae & sometimes-sparse white pseudocyphellae; white mounded soralia form on older surfaces & margins of lobes, with fine white soredia; undersides brown; CHEMISTRY: medulla KC+, C+ red (lecanoric acid); FIELD ID easy with a careful look to eliminate congeners

Similar Species

Punctelia missouriensis can look superficially similar but its soralia contain a few coarse, corticate soredia

Related Rare Species

Punctelia appalachensis

Habitat

Pine – hardwood woodlands, hardwood forests; substrates: conifer bark: 13 records on Pinus, 2 on Tsuga; hardwood bark: 5 records on Quercus, 9 on other hardwoods or unknowns; 2 records on silicious rock

Life History

Corticolous foliose lichenized fungus, photobiont a green alga (Trebouxia?)

Survey Recommendations

None

Range

Cumberland Plateau, Ridge & Valley, Southern Blue Ridge; rare in Piedmont

Threats

Unknown

Georgia Conservation Status

Uncommon to fairly common

Conservation Management Recommendations

None

References

Brodo, I. M. 2001. Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.

Brodo, I. M. 2016. Keys to lichens of North America: revised and expanded. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.

Esslinger, T. L. 2021. A cumulative checklist for the lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada. Version 24. Opuscula Philolichenum 20: 100-394.

Authors of Account

Malcolm Hodges

Date Compiled or Updated

5 August 2022