Bunodophoron
| Bunodophoron | |
|---|---|
| Bunodophoron melanocarpum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Sphaerophoraceae |
| Genus: | Bunodophoron A.Massal. (1861) |
| Type species | |
| Bunodophoron australe (Laurer) A.Massal. (1861)
| |
| Synonyms | |
Bunodophoron is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Sphaerophoraceae. The genus has a broad distribution in the Southern Hemisphere, with several species also present in oceanic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Established in 1861 by the Italian botanist Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo, the genus comprises about 20 accepted species that form shrubby, often tufted growths with flattened, strap-like branches. These lichens are characterised by their distinctive black, powdery spore masses that develop at the tips of fertile branches and their production of various lichen products including sphaerophorin and usnic acid.