Nytt Mag. Natur. 7: 229 (1853) [1852].
Basionym: Lichen flavicans Sw., Prodr.: 147 (1788).
Thallus: fruticose, composed of terete or slightly flattened, angled laciniae, in loose clumps up to 8 cm diam. and from 2-4 cm high; lobes 0.1-0.8 mm diam. dichotomously branched, wax-yellow to nugget-bronze-yellow, beset with scattered concolorous or black tipped fibrils up to 1 mm long, when sorediate, sometimes erumpent or in patches loosely scattered on the cortex; cortex 40-80 µm thick, the outermost 8-20 µm encrusted with yellowish crystals; algal cells 7-13 µm diam. in scattered colonies immediately below the cortex, forming a discontinuous layer up to 40 µm thick, occasional colonies scattered throughout the medulla; medulla of loosely compact hyphae 4 µm thick.
Apothecia sessile, or slightly raised up on a thickening of the thallus, up to 4 mm diam. plain to convex (to hemispheric); disk orange-rufous; margin slightly elevated, crenelated, concolorous with the thallus; hypothecium 40 µm thick; hymenium up to 80 µm tall; epithecium up to 12 µm heavily encrusted with yellow crystals; paraphyses branches 1.5-2.0 µm thick, apical cell expanded to 4 µm; asci 60 x 16-20 µm;
Ascospores 13-16(-18) x 8-12 µm polaribilocular, canal mostly present (Rex B. Filson 1969: 74-75).
Photobiont: Data lacking.
Chemistry: Anthraquinone pigments, vicanicin (Neelakantan 1959: 1). K+ purple, C-, KC-, P-; anthraquinones: parietin (major), teloschistin, fallacinal, parietinic acid (all minor), erythroglaucin (absent to minor), emodin (trace); depsidones: caloploicin (major), vicanicin, isofulgidin (both minor), some unknown compounds (chemosyndrome A+2). (Nash et al. 2001: xx).
Ecology: In very humid, warm habitats on conifers and other trees, bryophytes and rocks in coastal scrub near sea level.
Distribution Type: Subcosmopolitan.
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