Frequencies of anamorph and teleomorph production in 18 species of Umbilicaria were calculated from field samples and herbarium collections. In one group of species teleomorph production (with sexually generated ascospores) is almost entirely suppressed and compensated for by an abundant production ofanamorphs (asexual thalloconidia). A second group of species exhibits a continuum from exclusively anamorphic through ana-teleomorphic to exclusively teleomorphic individuals. In this group there are distinct biogeographic patterns in the distribution of the teleomorphic individuals. A third group consists of pairs of apparently closely related taxa where one taxon is richly anamorphic and rarely produces teleomorphs, whereas the other taxon is richly and exclusively teleomorphic; this can be referred to as a phylogenetic teleomorph-anamorph relationship. The members of these taxon pairs commonly have different geographical distributions.