crustose

[ kruhs-tohs ]

adjective

, Botany, Mycology.

1. forming a crusty, tenaciously fixed mass that covers the surface on which it grows, as certain lichens.

crustose

/ ˈkrʌstəʊs /

adjective

1. biology having a crustlike appearance

   crustose lichens

Word History and Origins

Origin of crustose¹

1875–80; < Latin crustōsus covered with a crust, equivalent to crust ( a ) crust + -ōsus -ose ¹

Example Sentences

On shaded sandstone, intermingled with an ash-gray, crustose thallus, which appeared like a sterile Pertusaria.

From Project Gutenberg