Summary ³

Net-marked parmelia (Parmelia sulcata), or Shield lichen, is a lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is very tolerant of pollution and is widespread, making it one of the most common lichens.

Description ⁴

 Thallus: adnate, foliose, 4-20 cm in diam., lobate; lobes: sublinear, contiguous to imbricate, elongate, plane, separate, 2-4 mm wide, apices truncate; upper surface: gray, smooth to strongly foveolate, shiny, sometimes white pruinose, becoming cracked along prominent, effigurate pseudocyphellae; soredia: granular, abundant, laminal, in linear soralia; isidia, pustulae and dactyls absent; medulla: white with continuous algal layer; lower surface: black, rhizinate; rhizines moderately dense, black, simple; Apothecia: rare, laminal, 2-8 mm wide; margin: usually sorediate; disc: dark brown; asci: clavate, 8-spored; ascospores: ellipsoid, 11-14 x 6-8 µm; Pycnidia: infrequent, immersed; conidia: bacilliform, 6-8 x 1 µm; Spot tests: upper cortex K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow turning deep red, C-, KC-, P+ orange; Secondary metabolites: upper cortex with atranorin and chlorotranorin; medulla with salazinic acid (major) and consalazinic acids (minor).; Substrate and ecology: common on trees in open habitats, occasionally on rocks; World distribution: pantemperate and southern boreal; Sonoran distribution: relatively common on deciduous and coniferous trees in montane habitats of Arizona, on coastal oaks in California and on rocks in the high mountains of northern Baja California. 

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Kristian Peters, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/26213090@N05/2478833078
2. (c) CALS, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by CALS
3. Adapted by CALS from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmelia_sulcata
4. (c) Lichen Unlimited: Arizona State University, Tempe., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/10547672

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CalPhotos
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• Mushroom Observer
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• USDA PLANTS database
• Ways of Enlichenment

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