Candelariella efflorescens

Candelariella efflorescens, commonly known as the powdery goldfleck lichen, is a species of lichen in the family Candelariaceae. Found in North America, it was formally described as a new species in 1978 by Richard C. Harris and William R. Buck. The type specimen was collected by the second author from Hog Island Point State Forest Campground (Michigan, USA); here, at the edge of a swamp, it was found growing on Populus balsamifera. The lichen has a temperate eastern North American distribution. Although it occurs most frequently on bark (usually from deciduous trees), it has also occasionally been recorded growing on wood. Before its description as a new species, it had most often been confused with Candelariella xanthostigma, Candelariella concolor var. effusa, and Lepraria candelaris when well developed.