Aspicilia cinerea | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Aspicilia cinerea | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
Order: | Pertusariales |
Family: | Megasporaceae |
Genus: | Aspicilia |
Species: | A. cinerea
|
Binomial name | |
Aspicilia cinerea | |
Synonyms | |
|
Aspicilia cinerea (cinder lichen) is a gray to almost white, 1.5–15 cm (0.59–5.91 in) wide, crustose areolate lichen with large apothecia that mostly grows on rock in the mountains. [1] [2]: 224 It grows in variable forms, from having a continuous surface to being areolate. [2]: 224 It grows in Eurasia, and North America on siliceous rock, schist or igneous rock in habitats exposed to sunlight, also rarely on calciferous rock. [1] It is common in Arizona, and rare in California and Baja California at elevations of 1,700 to 3,300 metres (5,600 to 10,800 ft). [1]
Flat to almost convex areoles are angular to irregular, and 0.2–2 mm in diameter. [1] They are contiguous but clearly separated by well defined cracks. [1] It usually lacks a prothallus. [1] It may be rimose toward the outer edges. [1] Each areole has 1–10, round to angular or irregular, 0.1–1.6 mm apothecia that may be confluent when numerous. [1] Apothecia have usually black concave discs, with exciple margins of thallus tissue. [1] Asci are club shaped ( clavate), with 8 ellipsoid ascospores. [1]
Lichen spot tests on the cortex and medulla are K+ red, KC−, P+ yellow [2]: 224 or P+ orange, [1] with the medulla sometimes testing K+ yellow and P+ orange. [2]: 224 Secondary metabolites include norstictic acid and often connorstictic acid in traces, and more rarely hyposalazinic acid. [1]
The photobiont is a chlorococcoid. [1]