Lepra amara var. flotowiana  (Flörke) Nimis

 

=Pertusaria amara var. flotowiana (Flörke) Erichsen

   Thallus crustose whitish, greyish, whitish-ochraceous, well demarcated but not zoned at the margin (or very little), more or less wrinkled, warty and cracked, covered with convex to nearly spherical soralia 1-3 mm in diameter, bristling with small "short finger" soredia which look like cauliflower from afar. No apothecia. C-, K-, KC+ fleeting violet, P+/- golden yellow to orange or P+ red. Fairly common taxon on not too acidic or slightly alkaline rocks (walls) in the aerohaline zone, but also in the "oceanic" zone, also on old walls by the sea (especially chapels) and on rocky ridges from inland.

N.B. The strong bitter taste of this species makes it easy to recognize among other close species. It is the most common variety (or morph) of  Lepra amara found on rocks.

N.B. This taxon is not taken into consideration by several authors.