Pilophorus fruticosus is a species of lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Found in China, it was formally described as a new species in 2011 by Li-Song Wang and Xin-Yu Wang. The type specimen was collected on the Cangshan Mountain (Dali County, Yunnan) at an elevation of 3570m (11,710feet); here, the lichen was found growing on rock. The lichen has only been recorded from here and another locality in Yunnan, at a similar altitude. It contains the secondary chemicals atranorin and zeorin. The specific epithet fruticosus refers to the form of the lichen's pseudopodetia.