General: Common Name: The Speckleback Lichens. Suggested by the presence of pale, speckle-like pseudocyphellae over the upper surface. Medium to large stratified foliose lichens, corticate above and below, sorediate, lobes loosely appressed, short, averaging to 3–7 mm wide, thin. Upper surface greenish yellow, pseudocyphellate. Lower surface blackening toward thallus centre, shiny, bearing short, simple rhizines. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Apothecia unknown in B.C. material. Over trees, shrubs and rock. Notes: Flavopunctelia is essentially a temperate genus consisting of four species, all of which occur in North America, though only one is reported for B.C. Flavopunctelia was formerly treated within Parmelia. For points of distinction with similar species in other genera, see the descriptions under Platismatia.
Habitat: Infrequent over trees and mossy rock in open coastal forests (CDF zone), also rare over shrubs in semi-arid intermontane (BG zone) World Distribution: incompletely circumpolar, N to southern BC, S to CA.
