Description: This grey, grizzly-looking crustose species with a cracked thallus (specimens to well over 10cm wide) colonises, nutrient- or bird-enriched, siliceous rock cliff sites close to the sea. Easily overlooked as ‘poor material’ the crusts carry discs which are contorted and sometimes hidden by the sickly appearance of the thallus. It is relatively frequent in suitable habitats in Ireland.

Key Identification Features:

• The scurfy appearance of the surface of this species caused by the presence of small, plate-like growths of thallus (schizidia) indicates this species
• It is rarely fertile; spot tests are K-, C- and Pd-.

Original text submitted by Simon Davey

Distribution Map from NBN: Circinaria leprosescens at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Circinaria leprosescens at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.