Diploschistes scruposus

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Diploschistes scruposus is a pale gray to white crusty lichen that forms warty to cracked patches on rocks. It has black, urn-shaped fruiting bodies (apothecia) and is commonly called crater lichen.

Habitat and distribution
- Grows on siliceous rocks in open areas (saxicolous).
- Found worldwide in Mediterranean, temperate, and polar regions, from low tropical zones to high elevations.

Taxonomy
- Family: Graphidaceae
- Genus: Diploschistes
- Species: D. scruposus
- Scientific name: Diploschistes scruposus (Schreb.) Norman (1852)

Identification notes
- Not covered with a powdery white coating (not epruinose), which helps differentiate it from other Diploschistes species.
- In California, it is the most common Diploschistes species there.

Conservation status
- Secure (NatureServe)