Bot. Notiser: 246 (1952).

Basionym: Variolaria griseovirens Turner & Borrer ex Sm., in Smith & Sowerby, Engl. Bot. 34: tab. 2400 (1812).

Thallus: crustose, endosubstratal, or more commonly, episubstratal in non-sorediate parts, indeterminate to delimited, forming rosettes or irregular patches, typically areolate, sometimes more or less continuous, sorediate. Prothallus indistinct or distinct, brownish, more rarely bluish. Areolae mostly distinct, whitish grey, sometimes greenish grey or grey tinged with brown, discrete at first, later often becoming contiguous or confluent, rounded in outline, slightly convex, up to 0.4 mm in diameter. Continuous parts concolorous with the areolae, sometimes maculated, smooth or slightly tuberculate, more or less rimose-cracked. Soralia greyish white to pale yellow or dark grey with a bluish tinge, bursting from the apices of the areolae and tuberculae, usually discrete, mostly circular in outline, rarely fissure-shaped, usually convex with the upper surface more or less plane or crateriform, more rarely hemispherical, often surrounded laterally by a lacerate, cortical sheet, up to 0.3 - 0.8 mm in diameter. Soredia fine, 20-40 µm in diameter; wall distinct; pigmentation of the external soredia brown, sometimes with a possible green tinge; pigment K+ fuscous brown, N-. Medulla indistinct to distinct (Tønsberg 1992: 113). Apothecia lacking, sparse to abundant, lecideine, black, up to 2 mm in diameter; proper margin thick; disc plane. Pycnidia unknown (Tønsberg 1992: 113).

Photobiont: Photobiont green, coccoid, 8-12 µm in diameter (Tønsberg 1992: 113).

Chemistry: Atranorin, norstictic acid, connorstictic acid (trace), + griseovirens unknowns. A few specimens contain only atranorin or only norstictic acid with connorstictic acid. Specimens with large amounts of pigments: Soralia C+ orange; UV+ orange (Tønsberg 1992: 113). "Atranorin (major), norstictic acid (major) and a series (ca. 10 compounds) of unidentified pigments related to eumitrins A1, A2, and B, including eumitrins P and M. Pigments in this species were referred to as "griseovirens unknowns" by Tønsberg (1992). Specimens with large amounts of pigments have yellow soralia reacting C+ orange and UV orange" (Elix & Tønsberg 1999: 4).

Ecology: On smooth, acidic bark surfaces, uncommon on coniferous trees, not known from Pinus sylvestris, occasionally on wood (Tønsberg 1992: 113).

Molecular data: Genbank

Distribution: Database

Note: