Leprocaulon Nyl.
Thallus small, slender, cartilaginous, ± terete, simple or branched, crowded, erect or intricated, pseudopodetia leprose-sorediate, irregularly lumpy-rotulose, or minutely verrucose, surface glabrous or slightly arachnoid-tomentose, sometimes ± decumbent and dorsiventral, in some species with root-like downward extensions into the substrate. Primary thallus absent or ± persistent, when present minutely verruculose, squamulose or powdery-dissolute. Cephalodia, apothecia and pycnidia absent. Photobiont green, Trebouxia.
Leprocaulon is a genus of imperfect lichens, some species of which bear a superficial resemblance to a small, sorediate Stereocaulon, however there is no close connection between these two genera since Leprocaulon lacks sexual reproductive structures and has a chemistry entirely different from that found in the Stereocaulaceae. Seven species are described [Lamb and Ward J. Hattori bot. Lab. 38: 499-533 (1974)] one of which is present in New Zealand, although the genus is still very poorly collected here and other species may possibly occur.
