Punctelia appalachensis

Punctelia appalachensis, commonly known as the Appalachian speckled shield lichen,^[1] is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in the eastern United States^[1] and eastern Canada.^[2] The lichen was first formally described in 1962 by lichenologist William Culberson as a species of Parmelia. He collected the type specimen growing on tree bark in West Virginia,^[3] Hildur Krog transferred it to the newly circumscribed genus Punctelia in 1982.^[4]

Punctelia appalachensis
A wet specimen found in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Lecanoromycetes
Order:	Lecanorales
Family:	Parmeliaceae
Genus:	Punctelia
Species:	P. appalachensis
Binomial name
Punctelia appalachensis (W.L.Culb.) Krog (1982)
Synonyms
Parmelia appalachensis W.L.Culb. (1962)

The thallus of Punctelia appalachensis is shiny and greenish-gray (drier individuals are bluish-grey);^[5] the surface is covered with maculae (spots or blotches) and pseudocyphellae. The underside of the thallus is black, at least in the center, with pale brown edges.^[1] Its dark underside allows it to be readily distinguished from other morphologically similar species in its range, such as Punctelia rudecta or P. caseana.^[5] The lichen usually grows on the bark of trees, but is sometimes found growing on rock.^[1]