About Teloschistes capensis (L.f.) Müll.Arg.
Teloschistes capensis is a fruticose (shrubby) lichen that typically grows upright, reaching 3 to 8 cm in height. It has a densely branched structure, with main branches around 0.5 mm in diameter that can be circular or angularly rounded in cross-section. These main branches sometimes have longitudinal stripes or grooves, and their texture ranges from dull and smooth to slightly hairy. The color of the branches can be orange, yellow, or greyish. This species does not produce soralia or isidia, the reproductive and dispersal propagules of lichens. Thinner secondary branches share the same color range as the main branches, and end in 1 to 2 mm long fibrils (small fibres) that are colored orange to yellow-grey. This lichen very often bears apothecia, its spore-producing structures. Apothecia grow on the sides of branches or near their ends, are stalkless, and measure 1 to 2 mm across. In early development, apothecia are small orange-red bumps, and mature into either flat or slightly concave discs. The discs are orange-red, typically darker than the rest of the lichen's thallus, and are surrounded by a prominent margin covered in many long yellow to orange fibrils. Inside the apothecia, the spore-producing asci are club-shaped, measuring 48–52 μm by 12–14 μm. The ascospores, the reproductive cells produced by asci, are two-celled, and range in shape from ellipsoid to nearly spindle-like. These spores measure 8.5 to 14 μm wide and up to 45.5 μm long.
