Lichens : Baeomycetales : XylographaceaeLichens

Xylographa trunciseda (Th.Fr.) Minks ex Redinger

Description: This lichen colonises the grain of weathered wood and timber like a rash of boat-shaped lines. It looks like an ironed-flat Opegrapha but the colour of the disc is brown; this makes it distinctive and easy to name in the field. The species is not common owing to the lack of wooden fencing in the Irish countryside (because of the rapid rate of decay and therefore replacement expense) rather than its genuine rarity. Chemical reactions are negative.

Key Identification Features:

  • Discs (0.2–long) brown, elongated like the hull of a boat
  • Growing in swarms on worked timber and on the rotting hulks of dead trees.

Original text submitted by Vince J. Giavarini

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

iNaturalist: Xylographa trunciseda at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

 Giavarini, Vince J., Simms, Michael J., & Davey, Simon, 2026. Xylographa trunciseda. (Th.Fr.) Minks ex Redinger. [In] Lichen Ireland.
https://www.habitas.org.uk/lichenireland/species.php?item=19158. Accessed on 2026-11-12.