Description: This crustose epiphyte should be searched for on the vertical bark of old, former parkland trees and nutrient-poor wooden fencing. The thallus consists entirely of fine granules (that look like, but are not soredia) which form a thin, uniform, dull orange-yellow crust. Discs are rare. It avoids nutrient-enriched bark and tends to prefer sycamore, ash and elm. It has a predominantly eastern distribution in Ireland.

Key Identification Features:

• Epiphyte: thallus, entirely of dull, orange-yellow granules; on non-enriched bark
• The similar Candelariella reflex is a species of nutrient-enriched habitats. It is minutely granular-sorediate, the soredia arising from tiny scales on the surface
• C. reflex's yellow patches are scattered and spotted across the tree bark or mixed in among mosses, not continuous as in C. xanthostigma.

Original text submitted by Vince J. Giavarini

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

iNaturalist: Candelariella xanthostigma at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.