Description: This small, yellow-grey, foliose lichen — a twig and small branch specialist, occurs in well-illuminated situations in woodland, hazel coppice and willow swamp as well as on rocks. The yellow colour, branching pattern (like narrow-cut jigsaw pieces) and the smoothly curving and ascending lobe endings that develop powdery soralia the same colour as the rest of the lichen, suggest this species. The C- reaction of the medulla (expose this by scraping away some of the top layer with a fingernail) should help to distinguish it from the larger, greyer Hypotrachyna laevigata both of which have branched rhizinae on their undersides. It is most frequently found in western Ireland.

Key Identification Features:

• Yellow-green colour of the thallus with floury soredia on the upwardly curving lobe tips
• A species of woodland edges, clearings and low, well-lit tree canopy.

Original text submitted by Simon Davey

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

iNaturalist: Hypotrachyna sinuosa at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.