Lichens of Bouverie Preserve

Caloplaca is a lichen genus, composed of a number of distinct species. The distribution of this lichen genus is worldwide, extending from Antarctica to the high Arctic. It includes a portion of northern North America and the Russian High Arctic. There are about thirty species of Caloplaca in the flora of the British Isles. An example species in this genus is Caloplaca saxicola, a lichen with worldwide distribution including the Antarctic continent, Europe and northern North... less ↑

 Thallus: erect to suberect, up to 6 (-8) cm broad; texture: cartilaginous; branching: isotomic dichotomous; budding: absent or rare; lobes: separate to centrally subcontiguous, 1-3 (-4) mm broad; black border: not visible from above; profile: even; width/height ratio: 0.5-2; tips and axils: entire,; upper surface: white to greenish gray, sometimes dark mottled, becoming rugose; soredia: terminal, in capitate soralia; isidia and lobules absent; medulla: hollow, ceiling of cavity white or dark, floor of cavity white or dark; lower surface: black, sparsely perforate; Apothecia: rare, substipitate, up to 2 mm in diam; stipe: urn- or funnel-shaped, loosely filled with hyphae; disc: brown; ascospores: subglobose, 6-7 x 5-5.5 µm; Pycnidia: sparse; conidia: not seen in local material; Spot tests: cortex K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P+ pale yellow, UV-; medulla K-, C-, KC+ orange-red, P-, UV-; Secondary metabolites: upper cortex with atranorin and chloroatranorin; medulla with physodic acid (major), 3-hydroxyphysodic acid (major), 2'-O-methylphysodic acid (accessory, frequency about 50%).; Substrate and ecology: typically on bark or wood, including conifers and deciduous trees, rarely on mossy rock or alpine sod; World distribution: circumboreal, montane, and cool temperate areas; northern Asia, North America, and Europe; in North America south to southern California and central Rocky Mountains; Sonoran distribution: southern California and Guadalupe Island in Baja California.; Notes: Much more common northward, the species is easily distinguished by its suberect to erect lobes with soredia coating the tips. Young, pre-sorediate specimens might be confused with H. imshaugii, but that species has pure white lobe interiors and only rarely contains 3-hydroxyphysodic acid. Hypogymnia bitteri has terminal soralia but an appressed, rosette-like thallus with contiguous lobes and often an overall brownish color.  less ↑

 Thallus: foliose, 2-8 (-10) cm in diam., loosely adnate to adnate, irregularly lobate; lobes: sublinear to subirregular, often short, plane to convex, usually separate, rarely slightly imbricate, 1-4 mm wide; axils: often sinuous; margin: entire, rarely somewhat incised; apices subtruncate to rounded, often revolute (especially when sorediate), convex to subascending, often black; upper surface: gray to greenish gray, smooth, shiny, faintly white maculate or emaculate; soredia: initially farinose, becoming granular, initially in subcapitate, subterminal soralia that become crateriform, excavated pustulae, with age becoming confluent and often eroded, white or greenish white; isidia and dactyls absent; medulla: white or off-white with continuous algal layer; lower surface: black, brownish towards apices; rhizines: sparse, black, sparsely dichotomous; Apothecia: very rare, sessile to substipitate, 2-6 mm in diam.; disc: brown; asci: clavate, 8-spored; ascospores: ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, 10-12 x 6-8 µm; Pycnidia: not seen; Spot tests: upper cortex K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P+ yellow, UV-; medulla K-, C+ red, KC+ red, P-; Secondary metabolites: upper cortex with atranorin and chloroatranorin; medulla with gyrophoric acids (major), 4, 5-di-O-methylhiascic acid, 5-O-methylhiascic acid (both minor), lecanoric and umbilicaric acids (both trace or absent).; Substrate and ecology: relatively rare, on acidic rock or bark in lower montane and upper montane forests; World distribution: neotropical and pantemperate (at least in regions adjacent to the tropics); Sonoran distribution: Channel Islands of California and montane areas of SE Arizona.; Notes: This widespread species exhibits considerable morphological plasticity that requires further evaluation.  less ↑

 Thallus: adnate, foliose, 4-10 cm in diam., lobate; lobes: sublinear, contiguous, elongate, plane to subconvex, separate, 2-5 mm wide, apices truncate; upper surface: whitish gray, smooth to slightly ridged, matt, frequently densely pruinose, becoming cracked along prominent, effigurate pseudocyphellae; isidia: granular to subsorediose, laminal, dense; soredia and pustulae absent; medulla: white with continuous algal layer; lower surface: black, rhizinate; rhizines: moderately dense, black, simple to sparsely furcate; Apothecia: rare, laminal, substipitate, 2-4 mm wide; margin: usually isidiate; disc: red brown to dark brown; asci: clavate, 8-spored; ascospores: broadly ellipsoid, 14-16 x 9-12 µm; Pycnidia: not seen; 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 chloroatranorin; medulla with salazinic acid (major) and consalazinic acids (minor).; Substrate and ecology: on trees; World distribution: Pacific NW in North America down to southern California; Sonoran distribution: only known from a few locations in southern California.  less ↑

 Thallus: foliose, up to 2 cm in diam., mostly irregular with confluent thalli; lobes: up to 2 mm broad, usually around 1 mm, about the same in length but sometimes much longer, ciliate; cilia: marginal, pale to black, always black in the outer part; upper surface: gray to dark gray; lobe tips mostly much darker, sometimes with a white pruina, sorediate; soredia: in helmet-shaped soralia, usually abundant, starting as holes just beneth the lobe tips; upper cortex: paraplectenchymatous; medulla: white; lower cortex: prosoplechymatous; lower surface: white to grayish; rhizines: white to black; Apothecia: not seen in Sonoran material; elsewhere up to 2 mm diam., stipItate; disc: sometimes thinly pruinose; ascospores: brown, 1-septate, Physcia-type, 10-23 x 7-10 µm; Pycnidia: sparse, immersed; conidia: subcylindrical, 4-6 x 1 µm; Spot tests: upper cortex K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P+ yellow; medulla K-, C-, KC-, P-; Secondary metabolite: atranorin in upper cortex.; Substrate and ecology: growing on trees and branches in fairly open situations, probably introduced by man; World distribution: widely distributed in temperate and boreal areas in all continents but more common at higher latitude up to 65ºN and 60ºS; Sonoran distribution: relatively frequent in upper montane forests of Arizona and coastal southern California and Baja California.; Notes: The species is easy to recognize by the cilia on the lobe margin and the helmet shaped soralia. In the Sonoran Region P. adscendens might be difficult to separate from some phenotypes of Heterodermia erinacea, and it is then necessary to study the upper cortex, which is prosoplectenchymatous in the latter. Physcia adscendens differs from P. tenellula in several aspects. The latter is much smaller and has a different type of soralia and hairs on the upper surface.  less ↑

 Thallus: continuous to fissured, with thin to moderately thick verrucae; margin: definite, often zonate; upper surface: whitish gray to greenish gray, margins entire to weakly zoned, epruinose; soredia: farinose, restricted to verrucae or coalescing and spreading onto ruptured thallus surface; Apothecia: no fertile specimens seen; Pycnidia: not seen; Spot tests: K- or K+ yellow to red, C-, KC+ rose-violet, P- or + yellow to red, UV-; Secondary metabolites: picrolichenic and ± protocetraric acids (both major); ± conprotocetraric and subpicrolichenic acid (both minor).; Substrate and ecology: on deciduous trees, such as Aesculus, Quercus or conifers, and also occasionally on siliceous rocks in shady places; World distribution: widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere; Sonoran distribution: in coastal areas of southern California and Baja California and scattered in inland mountains up to 1800 m in Arizona and Chihuahua.; Notes: Pertusaria amara is characterized by small, but coalescing soralia with farinose soredia, a relatively thin, grayish thallus and the presence of the picrolichenic acid chemosyndrome and thus a bitter taste. It is hardly confused with any other Pertusaria species occurring in western North America, except P. albescens. The distinction of both species is discussed above.  less ↑

 Thallus: rimose-to verrucose-areolate; areoles: 0.2-0.6 mm in diam., plane to subconvex, thin or thick; upper surface: white or whitish gray, rough; shiny or dull, scarcely or abundantly grayish or whitish pruinose; Ascomata: urceolate, sessile, slightly pruinose, up to 1.8 mm in diam.; disc: blackish, concave; proper exciple: up to 70 µm thick; hymenium: 80-120 µm high; asci: subclavate to cylindrical, 4-spored; ascospores: brown, muriform, ellipsoid, 18-32 x 6-15 µm; transverse septa 4-6, longitudinal septa 1-2 per transverse segment; Pycnidia: not seen; Spot tests: K+ yellow to red, C+ red, KC-, P-, UV-; Secondary metabolites: diploschistesic and lecanoric acids (both major) and orsellinic acid (minor).; Substrate and ecology: on soil or mosses, juvenile parasitic on Cladonia spp; World distribution: cosmopolitan in relatively open habitats in Mediterranean, temperate and polar regions and extending to high altitudes in the tropics; Sonoran distribution: common, occurs in the studied area at an elevation of c. 250-4100 m in Arizona, Baja California, California and Chihuahua.; Notes: The terricolous or muscicolous Diploschistes muscorum can be identified by the combination of 4-spored asci, juvenile parasitism, and the presence of lecanoric and diploschistesic acids. Similar species include D. diacapsis (distinction see under that species) and D. scruposus. The latter species is a saxicolous and is not lichenicolous. It has an epruinose thallus, (4-) 8-spored asci, and may or may not contain diploschistesic acid.  less ↑

 Thallus: crustose, usually well developed, +regularly areolate to rimose-areolate, 0.2-2 mm thick; prothallus: black, obvious at the margin of the thalli or indistinct or lacking; areoles: contiguous, flat to slightly convex, irregular to moderately regular, 0.2-2 mm in diam.; surface: whitish gray to pale bluish gray, esorediate; cortex: 10-17 µm thick; medulla: white, I+ intensely violet, sometimes medulla-I reaction not uniformly throughout the thallus (but usually more distinct under the hypothecium; rarely medulla I-); Apothecia: black, sitting in between and usually not overtopping the areoles, 0.4-2(-3.5) mm in diam., singular or in sometimes large and dense groups (then outline of apothecia angular); disc: black, flat to slightly convex, dull, epruinose to (usually weakly) pruinose; margin: very thin or disappearing; exciple: with an epihymeniumlike brownish rim and an unpigmented (50-80 µm wide, but often strongly reduced) interior part; epihymenium: olive-brown, dirty green, bright green (cinereorufa-green), or dark brown, 10-15 µm thick; hymenium: hyaline, 4375 µm tall, I+ blue; paraphyses: not or rarely branched and usually not anastomosing; subhymenium: distinguishable only after staining with lactic blue, 25-80 µm thick; hypothecium: unpigmented to very pale green or pale yellowish brown; asci: clavate, 38-55 x 9-15 µm, 8-spored; ascospores: hyaline, simple, broadly ellipsoid (rarely sub-globose) to oblong-ellipsoid, (5-)6.2-13.5(-17.5) x (2.5)3.6-6.7(-8) µm, length-width-index 1.2-2.4, mean spore volume 70-235 µm3; Pycnidia: immersed, graphidoid; conidia: bacilliform, (6-)9-13(-18) x 1-1.5 µm [studied in 28 specimens]; Spot tests: cortex and medulla K-, C-, KC-, P-; Secondary metabolites: with 3 sympatric distributed chemotypes of obviously minor taxonomic rank: chemotype A: with confluentic acid syndrome; chemotype; Substrate and ecology: in open habitats on acid and slightly calcareous rocks, including sandstones; World distribution: bipolar and extending into the tropics in alpine areas; Sonoran distribution: widespread and locally common from mid-elevations to the alpine and upper montane zones of Arizona, California, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, and Sinaloa.; Notes: Lecidea tessellata is a very widespread and rather polymorphic species. It is rather easily recognized by its regularly areolated, usually moderately to rather thick thallus with usually has a I+ dark violet medulla, its half-sunken apothecia with an mostly somewhat reduced exciple, its unpigmented hypothecium, and its small, thick-walled and blunt ascospores. The epitheton "tessellatus" (Latin) means "built of little square stones" (like a mosaic) and refers to the uniformly cracked areolate thallus. In alpine areas over calcareous rocks, one finds Lecidea tessellata var. caesia (Anzi) Arnold, characterized by a pale bluish gray thallus with a floury surface (see Hertel 1967). This variety is common and widespread in alpine areas with a more humid climate but not yet reported from the Sonoran region.; Note: This is an artificial unit and includes all those taxa of still unclear generic position, that were described as members of the genus Lecidea, as circumscribed by Zahlbruckner and based primarily on the occurrence of hyaline, non-septate spores within lecideine apothecia. Finding a phylogenetically proper placement for the species is a project well beyond the scope of the development of this flora.  less ↑

 Thallus: fruticose, shrubby or tufted, up to 7(-15) cm long; branching: irregularly or dichotomously branched from a narrow holdfast; branches: solid, irregular in thickness or plane, 1-3(-5) mm wide; surface: greenish gray to greenish yellow, smooth, shiny, sorediate; soredia: farinose, in laminal or marginal, rounded, discrete soralia; pseudocyphellae: almost lacking in distal branches, more common near the base of branches, ellipsoid to short linear; cortex: thin; chondroid strands: continuous, weakly to heavily cracked; Apothecia: rare but frequent in local populations in some limited areas, mostly laminal, up to 6 mm in diam.; disc: covered with thin pruina; margin: concolorous with the thallus, entire, usually lacking pseudocyphellae; asci: elongate-clavate, 8-spored; ascospores: hyaline, 1-septate, broadly fusiform, 12-15 x 5-7 µm; Pycnidia: not observed; Spot tests: cortex K-, C-, KC+ yellow, P-; medulla K+ yellow or yellow turning dark red, C-, KC-, P+ yellowish orange; Secondary metabolites: cortex with usnic acid; medulla with (race 1) protocetraric acid (major); (race 2) norstictic (major) acid and salazinic acid (±trace).; Substrate and ecology: on bark, rarely on rock; World distribution: cosmopolitan, especially common in temperate, coastal regions; Sonoran distribution: southern California, Baja California and Baja California Sur.; Notes: Among the two chemical races of Ramalina farinacea, race 1 (protocetraric acid) is more common in the greater Sonoran region. The distribution of the chemical races in North America have been extensively investigated by Bowler (1977).  less ↑

 Thallus: fruticose, shrubby to subpendulous, up to 7(15) cm long; branching: irregularly or dichotomously branched from a narrow holdfast; branches: solid, lanceolate, plane or +canaliculate, up to 3(-5) mm wide; surface: greenish gray to greenish yellow, irregularly uneven, shiny, without soredia; pseudocyphellae: linear or ellipsoid, laminal or rarely marginal, flat to +depressed; cortex: thin; chondroid strands: continuous, smooth, never forming bundles of hyphae; Apothecia: common, submarginal, up to 1-3 mm in diam.; disc: concave, with or without white pruina, without white margin; margin: entire; concolorous with the thallus, reticulately rugose, usually with dense pseudocyphellae; asci: elongate-clavate, 8-spored; ascospores: hyaline, 1-septate, broadly fusiform, slightly curved, 12-16 x 4.5-5 µm; Pycnidia: not observed; Spot tests: cortex K-, C-, KC+ yellow, P-; medulla K-, C-, KC-, P-; Secondary metabolites: cortex with usnic acid (major); medulla with zeorin (±trace).; Substrate and ecology: on bark; World and Sonoran distribution: southern California, Baja California and Baja California Sur.; Notes: Although Rundel and Bowler (1976) reported the absence of zeorin for R. leptocarpha, zeorin containing specimens were found in Mexico. Ramalina leptocarpha might be confused with R. celastri that differs in having flat laciniae, a convex apothecial disc without pruina, lacking pseudocyphellae on the margins and never producing zeorin. In addition, blades of R. leptocarpha produce apothecia on both sides, but they are usually characteristically found on upper side of blades in R. celastri. Ramalina leptocarpha resembles R. calicaris (L.) Fr., a European species, that differs in having +protruded pseudocyphellae and produces homosekikaic and sekikaic acid. Howe (1914) reported the occurrence of Ramalina fraxinea var. ampliata Ach., R. menziesii Tuck. and R. linearis (Sw.) Ach. from the Sonoran area. However, most specimens (in US) examined and annotated by him as these three species were found to be R. leptocarpha. The distribution of R. leptocarpha was plotted by Rundel and Bowler (1976).  less ↑

 Thallus: fruticose, pendulous, 20-50(-200) cm long; branching: subparallel, irregular or dichotomously branched growing from a narrow holdfast or unattached; branches: solid, flattened, reticulate net-like fenestration common on side and distal branches, up to 3(-10) mm wide; surface: yellowish green, smooth or conspicuous striated by pseudocyphellae, shiny, sorediate; pseudocyphellae: common, narrowly linear, laminal or rarely marginal; cortex: thin; chondroid strands: discontinuous, smooth; Apothecia: frequent, stipitate; disc: flat to +concave, without a white margin; margin: pseudocyphellate, concolorous with the thallus; asci: elongate-clavate, 8spored; ascospores: hyaline, 1-septate, broadly fusiform, 12-15 x 4.5-5.6 µm; Pycnidia: not observed; Spot tests: cortex K-, C-, KC+ yellow, P-; medulla K-, C-, KC-, P-; Secondary metabolites: cortex with usnic acid (minor); medulla: none detected.; Substrate and ecology: on bark; World distribution: western North America from central Baja California to southern Alaska; Sonoran distribution: southern California, Baja California and Baja California Sur.; Notes: Ramalina menziesii is unique in having pendulous branches with net-like perforations, lacking soralia, and in producing no chemical metabolites. The distinction with R. usnea is given under that species.  less ↑

Cladonia (cup lichen) is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer and caribou. Cladonia species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets in Russia. Antibiotic compounds are extracted from some species to create antibiotic cream. The light green species Cladonia stellaris is used in flower decorations. less ↑

Usnea is the generic and scientific name for several species of lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, that generally grow hanging from tree branches, resembling grey or greenish hair. It is sometimes referred to commonly as Old Man's Beard, Beard Lichen, Tree's Dandruff, Woman's Long Hair, or Tree Moss. It should not be confused with Oak Moss (genus Evernia), which it physically resembles and is also called Tree Moss.Usnea grows all over the world. Like other lichens... less ↑

 Thallus: shrubby to subpendant, 2-12 cm long, compact to loose; branching: anisotomic-dichotomous; basal part: usually black on a narrow and irregular zone, rarely conspicuously blackened on 2-4 mm, sometimes concolorous with the branches, with few indistinct annular cracks; branches: irregular; lateral branches: not narrowed at attachment point, but sometimes ±fusiform; annulations usually few (1-4/0.5 cm) and indistinct, rarely conspicuous and numerous; segments: terete to flattened, slightly to distinctly sausage-like, usually with foveoles and/or transverse furrows; papillae: verrucose, few to numerous, irregularly to dense on main and secondary branches; tubercles: few to numerous, ±large and conspicuous, sometimes of irregular shape, often eroded and white at their top, mainly on terminal branches bearing apothecia; fibercles: present mainly mainly on terminal branches bearing apothecia; fibrils: spinulous to slender, 1-6 mm long, few to numerous, mostly irregularly distributed on the whole thallus; isidiomorphs: absent; pseudocyphellae: present on fibrils growing on branches or at the edge of apothecia; cortex: thin to moderately thick (5-8%), dull to ±shiny; medulla: lax to dense, unpigmented; axis: usually of the same width than medulla; Apothecia: 2-13 mm in diam., terminal, subterminal or lateral; ascospores: broadly ellipsoid, 7-9 x 5-6 µm; Spot tests: K+ yellow turning red, C-, KC-, P+ orangish yellow, or K-, C-, KC-, P-; Secondary metabolites: salazinic acid (major) or no medullary substances.; Substrate and ecology: on bark rarely on wood or rock, mainly on Quercus spp., Pinus spp., and Pseudotsuga in mixed conifer forests or pine-oak-fir forests or Douglas fir forests or in the spruce fir zone, between 1800 and 2900 m; World distribution: Europe and western North America; Sonoran distribution: mountains of Arizona and Sierra Madre Occidental of Chihuahua.; Notes: There are no visible differences between the western North American (U. arizonica, U. retifera) and the European specimens (U. intermedia), and therefore they are considered here as conspecific. Usnea lecanorica W. Culb., C. Culb & Fiscus with lecanoric acid is also morphologically and anatomically close to Usnea intermedia. Moreover, a specimen with thamnolic acid has been found in New Mexico. Detailed studies are needed to understand the signification of these different chemistries.  less ↑

 Thallus: foliose, adnate to loosely adnate, 4-10 cm in diam., irregularly lobate; lobes: subirregular, elongate, plane to subconvex, separate, contiguous to somewhat imbricate, (0.5-)1.5-4 mm wide, not lobulate; apices: subrotund, smooth to crenate, eciliate; upper surface: yellow-green, smooth, shiny, epruinose and emaculate, moderately to densely isidiate; isidia: initially subglobose, soon becoming cylindrical to coralloid branched, 0.1-0.2 mm in diam., 0.1-0.5 mm tall; tips: syncorticate, brown to blackish brown, sometimes weakly erumpent; soralia and pustulae absent; medulla: white, with continuous algal layer; lower surface: pale to medium brown, plane, moderately to densely rhizinate; rhizines: pale brown, simple, 0.2-0.5 mm long; Apothecia: rare, substipitate, 2-7 mm wide, laminal on thallus; disc: cinnamon-brown to dark brown; margin: smooth, pruina absent; asci: clavate, 8spored; ascospores: hyaline, simple, ellipsoid, 9-10 x 4-5 µm; Pycnidia: rare, immersed; conidia: bifusiform, 6-7 x 1 µm; Spot tests: upper cortex K-, C-, KC-, P-; medulla K+ yellow to dark red, C-, KC-, P+ orange; Secondary metabolites: upper cortex with usnic acid (major); medulla with salazinic acid (major) consalazinic acid (minor), and usually norstictic and protocetraric acids (trace).; Substrate and ecology: on acidic rocks, often on soil near the coast, in open, arid habitats; World distribution: Africa, Asia, Australasia, southern North America and South America; Sonoran distribution: common at lower elevations in Arizona, southern California, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua and Sonora.; Note: Xanthoparmelia mexicana is probably the most common Xanthoparmelia in the Sonoran region. Typically it is a somewhat broad lobed species with dense isidia, a pale to reddish brown lower cortex and salazinic acid as the major medullary metabolite. In the interior deserts of central Arizona, X. mexicana often has narrower lobes and a higher degree of adnation than coastal populations.  less ↑

 Thallus: foliose, adnate to loosely adnate, 3-20 cm in diam., lobate; lobes: subirregular, elongate, slightly imbricate, plane, separate, 10-20 mm wide; apices: rotund, often ascending and wavy, ciliate; cilia: up to 5 mm long; upper surface: gray with some blackened areas, smooth, dull to shiny, faintly white maculate; soredia: granular, common, in linear, marginal to submarginal soralia; isidia and pustulae: absent; medulla: white with continuous algal layer; lower surface: black with brown to mottled white naked zone peripherally, centrally rhizinate; rhizines: scattered, simple; Apothecia: rare, substipitate, up to 10 mm in diam.; margin: crenulate; disc: brown, often perforate; ascospores: ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, 15-22 x 9.5-12 µm; Pycnidia: laminal, immersed; conidia: 10.5-11.5 µm long; Spot tests: upper cortex K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P-; medulla K-, C-, KC+ red or orange, P-; Secondary metabolites: upper cortex with atranorin and chloroatranorin; medulla with alectoronic acid (major) and α-collatolic acid (minor).; Substrate and ecology: on hardwood trees (often among mosses) in relatively exposed positions; World distribution: neotropics and extending well into temperate regions to the north and south, Macaronesia, throughout Europe and New Zealand; Sonoran distribution: common on live oaks in woodlands of southern California, especially the Channel Islands.  less ↑

Parmotrema perlatum is distinguished by the ciliate lobes, marginal soralia (capitate in the sublacinules) and the presence of stictic acid (medulla K+ yellow, P+ orange). Parmotrema bangii can be differentiated for the formation of sorediose pustules, while P. hypoleucinum (J. Steiner) Hale has small maculae and a wide white margin in the lower surface (Brodo et al. 2001). In P. hypotropum (Nyl.) Hale there’s also a lower white margin (as in P. hypoleucinum), but it has just norstictic acid, the medulla being K+ yellow → red (Brodo et al. 2001). Finally, P. rampoddense, although with a similar morphology, presents alectoronic acid (medulla KC+ rose → quickly orange, UV+ greenish blue).

Some authors (Hale 1965, Swinscow & Krog 1988, Eliasaro 2001, Sipman 2005) described P. perlatum with revolute lobes, while Fleig (1997) called them involute and Hale & Cole (1988) as “revolute with the apex involute”. This last observation agrees with the specimen here seen. The presence of trace of norstictic acid in the solvent C, already reported by Elix (1994) and Brodo et al.
(2001), was confirmed here too.

Hale & Ahti (1986) discovered an earlier name, Lichen chinensis that became universally accepted. Nevertheless recently Hawksworth (2004) reestablished Parmotrema perlatum as the valid name.

[Spielmann & Marcelli 2009] less ↑

Flavoparmelia caperata or common greenshield lichen (from Lichens of North America) is a medium to large foliose lichen that has a very distinctive pale yellow green upper cortex when dry. The rounded lobes, measuring 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) wide, usually have patches of granular soredia arising from pustules. The lobes of the thallus may be smooth, but quite often have a wrinkled appearance especially in older specimens. The lower surface is black except for a brown margin; rhizomes... less ↑

Evernia prunastri, also known as Oakmoss, is a species of lichen. It can be found in many mountainous temperate forests throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including parts of France, Portugal, Spain, North America, and much of Central Europe. Oakmoss grows primarily on the trunk and branches of oak trees, but is also commonly found on the bark of other deciduous trees and conifers such as fir and pine. The thalli of Oakmoss are short (3–4 cm in length)... less ↑

Letharia vulpina, commonly known as the wolf lichen (although the species name vulpina, from vulpine relates to the fox), is a fruticose lichenized species of fungus in the family Parmeliaceae. It is bright yellow-green, shrubby and highly branched, and grows on the bark of living and dead conifers in parts of western and continental Europe, the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains of Western North America. This species is somewhat toxic to mammals due to the... less ↑

 Thallus: foliose, up to 5 cm in diam., irregular and sometimes pulvinate, less often; lobes: linear to more often somewhat irregular-rounded and partly imbricate, 1-2 mm broad, mostly flat to weakly concave or convex, ± prostrate, frequently with scattered marginal lobules; upper surface: gray to gray-brown or commonly brown to dark reddish brown, orbicular, with a partial (lobe ends) or sometimes almost completely pruinose, sorediate; soredia: granular to strongly isidioid in older parts, darkening with age, in labriform soralia, primarily on the upturned lobe ends of lateral lobes or sometimes on main lobes; upper cortex: scleroplectenchymatous; medulla: white; lower cortex: absent or weakly organized and ± prosoplectenchymatous; lower surface: pale throughout (small specimens) or darkening centrally (in larger, better developed specimens), the lobe ends distinctly whitish and ecorticate, usually with distinctive blackish striations developing and becoming more numerous inward, these eventually coalescing to form a poorly organized and very dull 'cortex' in many (but not all) specimens; rhizines: black and squarrosely branched; Apothecia: rare, up to 1.5 mm in diam., the margin entire, sometimes becoming lobulate (lobules sometimes with labriform soralia); ascospores: 26-32 (-34) x 15.5-18 µm; Spot tests: all negative; Secondary metabolites: none detected.; Substrate and ecology: bark, rock, mosses over rock; World distribution: North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America; Sonoran distribution: southern California and Arizona (primarily upper elevation areas in the mountains).; Notes: The distinctive terminal labriform soralia (occasionally very sparse) and the partly to mostly ecorticate lower surface, usually with blackish striations, distinguish this species from all others in the study area. The lack of positive spot tests in both the medulla and the soralia also serve to separate it from other species with labriform or near labriform soralia (e.g. P. leucoleiptes).  less ↑

 Thallus: umbilicate, monophyllous, +somewhat lobate, +circular, brittle, thin, rigid, usually with an entire margin, 1-3(-5) cm in diam.; upper surface: light to medium brown, shiny, smooth but with irregular, thin, black cracks in the surface giving a chinky appearance, usually epruinose; medulla: white; lower surface: light gray to light brown, sometimes black around the umbilicus, coarsely papillate; Apothecia: common, black, immersed to sessile, circular or angular, with gyrose disc often with many small circular elevations, up to 2.5 mm in diam.; ascospores: hyaline to light brown, simple, ellipsoid, 8-16 x 4-9 µm; Spot tests: K-, KC+ red, C+ red, P-; Secondary metabolites: gyrophoric, lecanoric and umbilicaric acids.; Substrate and ecology: on siliceous boulders in very xeric microhabitats; World distribution: western North and South America; Sonoran distribution: occurring in many localities, from near the seashore to high mountains in Arizona, southern California and Baja California.; Notes: Umbilicaria phaea is the most widespread rock tripe in the area, something that reflects its ability to grow in very dry habitats. A disjunct specimen of U. phaea var. coccinea Llano is reported for northern Baja California (Llano 1950), although this distinctive red-colored taxon primarily occurs in the Pacific Northwest. The common name of U. phaea is emery rock tripe.  less ↑