English: A lichen - Graphis scripta This is one of the lirellate lichens, so called because the fruiting bodies, which are disc-shaped in many lichen species, are elongated instead into slit-like openings called lirellae, which may be linear or branched, depending on species.

Graphis scripta is very common on smooth-barked trees. Trees with rough bark are often host to a greater number of lichen species, since their surface texture provides better opportunities for lichens to become established. However, certain lichen species, such as this one, require a smooth surface.

In G. scripta, each lirella is bounded by a single raised black margin; the similar G. elegans has a furrowed margin. (In order to make an identification, such details must be checked at the time, with a hand-lens; they are too small to be discerned later on photographs.)