Hypotrachyna showmanii
Hypotrachyna showmanii photo by Bob Klips
DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES: Small size, sorediate-pustulate, medulla KC+ red; compare with H. osseoalba which is UV+ bright yellow with different chemistry, and with Myelochroa aurulenta which has yellow medulla and tests KC-.
ECOLOGY: Rare in the eastern US; this new species was named by Mason Hale in 1976 with the type location in Vinton County; intensive searching since then has found H. showmanii in 12 southern Ohio counties; found exclusively on ridgetops with open, oak forest, nearly always growing on chestnut oak.