Description: This ‘scripture lichen’ might easily be mistaken for Opegrapha atra in the field, or for Opegrapha herbarum under the microscope; so the simple, scrunched or forked discs (lirellae) require very close scrutiny. In O. ochrocheila, the disc edge (exciple) and more occasionally, the disc itself, becomes covered in a red-orange, ‘golden’ dusting of pruina which is rarely ever absent. However, on the rare occasions of non-pruinose discs being present, once sectioned, the three-septate spores will be seen to lack the perispore feature (this is like a watery halo around the spore) present in O. herbarum. The wide-open slits of the lirellae distinguish it from O. atra. On dry, shaded bark, especially oak in woodland. North and south-west Ireland mostly.

Key Identification Features:

• Discs with distinctive golden pruina and wide slits
• Spores lacking a perispore.

Original text submitted by Vince J. Giavarini

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

iNaturalist: Alyxoria ochrocheila at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.