''Flavopunctelia praesignis'' is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It was first described as ''Parmelia praesignis'' by Finnish botanist William Nylander in 1872. In 1982, Hildur Krog transferred it to the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

''Flavopunctelia'' of her newly circumscribed genus '' Punctelia'', created to contain '' Parmelia'' species with punctate (point-like) pseudocyphellae. Mason Hale raised this subgenus to generic status a couple of years later. The lichen is colloquially known as the fruiting speckled greenshield. It is found in the southern United States, in various states of Mexico, and in South America. It has also been reported from Kenya, but that may be due to misidentification. A study on the post‐fire recolonization of dominant

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

lichen species on silverleaf oak determined that the primary means of recolonization for ''F. praesignis'' is fragmentation. In the thalli of partially burned lichens, the bleached portion fell off the tree leaving the green, metabolically active parts of the thallus remaining, thus creating space for recolonization as well as regeneration of remaining fragments.

References

praesignis Lichen species Lichens described in 1872 Lichens of North America Lichens of South America Taxa named by William Nylander (botanist) {{Parmeliaceae-stub