Syn. Meth. Lich. (Parisiis) 2: 45 (1863).

Basionym: Collema lutosum Ach., Syn. Meth. Lich. (Lund): 309 (1814).

Protologue type data: Germaniae. Data lacking.

Type locality: Germany (H-ACH - holotype).

Description: Lichen. Squamules orbicular to broadly angulate, to about 5 mm diam., plane to concave, with margins generally upcurved; attached to substrate by hyphae. Upper side pale olivaceous to olivaceous brown, entire to faintly reticulate; with cortex of one or two rows of large paraplectenchymatous cells, generally covered by, or here and there replaced by, a necral layer. Under side white to pale brown; lacking distinct cortex. Medulla with algal zone half to full depth, alga-free zone of paraplectenchymatous cells. Soralia absent. Apothecia usually one, less often several, per squamule, innate, with conspicuous red disc to about 1.5 mm diam. Spores ellipsoid, 15-25 x 6-10 µm, in type specimen many contain one pseudoseptum (Swinscow 1982: 79).

Photobiont: Data lacking.

Chemistry: No lichen substances.

Ecology: Extremely calciphilous (Albertson 1950: 121).

Distribution type: Subcosmopolitic. - Southern and central Europe (Albertson 1950: 121). Africa, Canary Islands, North America (Alaska, Canada, USA, Mexico) (Swinscow 1982: 79). Puerto Rico, Australia Mongolia.

Taxonomy: Data lacking.

Note: In 1982 Swinscow stated "No certain record of this species has been traced from the Canary Islands since the specimens of Solorina despreauxii cited above [Tenerife before 1840]. There is at least a sample from Tenerife collected by H. Sipman in 1978 (B 25022) (Discover Life 16 September 2018). Apparently unpublished.

Distribution Database: Distributions

Distribution Database: Discover Life

Picture Database: Tropical Lichens

Molecular Database: Genbank

Synonym Database: Index Fungorum

Synonym Database: Mycobank