Lichen (fructicose)

Description:

Clump of greenish-grey lichen with multiple dividing branches forming discrete clumps on the trunk of a giant gum. The tree had moss covering most of the base and these lichen clumps stood out because of their shape and colour.

Habitat:

damp eucalyptus forest

Notes:

I could not find much information on this type of lichen growing in the south-eastern part of Australia except in a description by McCarthy & Malcolm in "Key to the genera of Australian Macrolichen " - "Thallus surface smooth; corticate, with an external cartilaginous layer, often glossy; prostrate, straggling, ascending or erect, sparingly branched to richly and dichotomously or irregularly branched, sometimes perforated to fenestrated, inflated or not, 1–8 (–15) cm tall and esorediate, or < 3 mm tall and sorediate, 0.5–8 (–12) mm wide, creamy white, yellow-brown, green, dark brown to ±black. Fertile pseudopodetia sometimes thicker and taller than sterile ones. Apothecia solitary or tiered, concave to plane. Spores simple, 8–15 × 2–5 μm. [Throughout Australia, especially in temperate and cooler areas; mainly on soil, also on bark; 13 spp.] ................................ Cladia Nyl.