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Candleflame lichen is a small, leafy lichen that forms lemon-yellow rosettes under 3/8 in (1 cm) across on tree bark. It's very common in North America and Europe. It thrives in nitrogen-rich spots and tolerates air pollution, so it's common on city trees. It's also called lemon lichen.

Appearance

Appearance
Greenish-yellow to mustard-yellow, with tiny branching lobes about 1/25 in (1 mm) long whose edges are fringed with powdery granules (). Single rosettes are under 3/8 in (1 cm), but colonies can spread over several inches.
Growth form
The underside is whitish with white root-like strands (). It only perches on bark and doesn't harm the tree.

Look-alikes

Sunburst lichensXanthomendoza

Sunburst lichens are orange to yellow-orange rather than lemon yellow. Lichen experts also use a drop of potassium hydroxide (K): sunburst lichens such as Xanthoria turn red to purple, while candleflame lichen doesn't change.

Why they get mixed upBoth are small, leafy yellow lichens on bark.

Fringed candleflame lichenCandelaria fibrosa

Fringed candleflame lichen makes small disk-shaped fruiting bodies with a yellow rim instead of powdery edges.

Why they get mixed upSame genus, same color, and the same bark habitat.

Pacific candleflame lichenCandelaria pacifica

Usually smaller, with a cobwebby underside and few or no rhizines; telling them apart reliably needs a close look at the underside. It mostly lives in western North America.

Why they get mixed upIt looks nearly identical from above and was described as a separate species only in 2011.

Goldspeck lichensCandelariella

Goldspecks are crustlike, orange-yellow specks or granules with no leafy lobes, and usually grow on rock.

Why they get mixed upSimilar yellow color.

Where it lives

Typical habitats
  • tree bark
  • parks and roadside trees
  • wooden fences
Range
Very common in North America and Europe, and one of the most common lichens in the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts.
Preferred conditions
Grows mostly on sunny, nutrient-rich bark, especially maple, ash, elm, and willow. It also grows on wooden fences and poles, and less often on rock and walls.

Growing it

Propagation
Spreads mainly by soredia that break off and start new patches; spore-producing fruiting disks are rare.

Name and classification

About the name
Some lichens once called by this name have since been split off as separate species, including Candelaria pacifica (described in 2011) and Candelaria asiatica (2018), so the name now covers a narrower group than it used to.

Conservation

IUCN Red List
NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

Culture and stories

Culture and stories
  • Lichen watchers use it as a clue to air quality: a dense cover of candleflame lichen with few other lichens can point to high nitrogen or polluted air.

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Candleflame Lichen (Candelaria concolor) — identification, habitat & look-alikes | Moeyo