Description: This is mainly a species of sand and gravel tracks in the foothills of upland or hilly districts. The grey bluish crust is composed of a froth of granules (known as phyllocladia in this genus) so the epithet ‘condensatum’ is indeed a very apt name. Powdery soredia are not produced. Dark, red-brown to black structures with roughened surfaces called cephalodia also occur. A lookalike species S. glareosum, which has never occurred in Ireland, is similar but has smooth cephalodia with much less coloration. In Ireland, S. condensatum is poorly known.

Key Identification Features:

• Fruticose lichen composed of a ‘frothy column’ of grey-blue granules, like stuck-together snowballs in miniature
• Soredia entirely absent; cephalodia roughened, reddish-brown to black; gravelly soils, upland.

Original text submitted by Vince J. Giavarini

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

iNaturalist: Stereocaulon condensatum at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.