Colorado Usneas

According to CNALH (at Lichen Portal: Key for Colorado) the following species of Usnea occur in Colorado:
Usnea arizonica
Usnea cavernosa
Usnea glabrata
Usnea hirta
Usnea perplexans = lapponica
Usnea scabrata
Usnea subfloridana

The above link works as a key-- great fun to try out.
(But for entire list of all collected, see * below. I'm guessing this means most others are synonymized at this point, and/or that single specimens are not counted in above list.)

Although it seems most Usnea specimens with abundant apothecia on iNat are IDed as U strigosa, I recalled at least a couple other species that had obvious apothecia. Notably U arizonica. Although it has been collected (once) in Colorado, that collection was in the far southwest of the state, not too far from Arizona. Note also that U intermedia is considered synonymous with this species at CNALH, per note with that species below.

Thus, these first two specimens may be considered duplicates:

Usnea arizonica Motyka
COLO-L-0045841 Roger Rosentreter RR-CO-39 Date: 1977-11-26
United States, Colorado, Hinsdale, San Juan Mountains, Vallecito Creek

Usnea intermedia Jatta

SRP-L-0009176 Roger Rosentreter CO-39 1977-11-26
U.S.A., Colorado, La Plata, Vallecito Creek San Jaun[sic] Mountains, near Durango, CO., 37.5 -107.536003, 2744m

But U strigosa has also been collected once in Colorado:
Usnea strigosa (Ach.) Eaton
370686 Robert S Egan EL-16194 Date: 2003-08-04
United States, Colorado, Larimer, Estes Park: just WNW along US Rte 34, 40.3883333 -105.5575, 2378m

Also, Steve Sharnoff's index for Usnea photographs is a huge help! Ditto for the Usnea photos at Ways of Enlichenment (which also lists synonyms)! Thanks!!

arizonica
Not described in CNALH, but according to their link to Encyclopedia of Life: "The Arizona beard lichen or bushy beard lichen, Usnea arizonica, is endemic to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and one of the most common lichen species in that area. It is fruiticose, typically found draped on or attached to the bark of tree branches especially in conifer forests. A light yellowish green in color, it produces many yellow, disc shaped fruiting bodies (apothecia) that are up to 10mm (0.3 inches) across (States 1990; Kleinman No Date)."
Distribution: (per CNALH), abundant collections in AZ, NM, TX, CA; rare (and possibly dubious?) specimens from CT, PA, NC, OK, OR, MT, ID, FL.

cavernosa
Apothecia: very rare
Substrate and ecology: on bark, rarely on wood, in mountains in moist habitats between 2000 and
3300 m
World distribution: Eurasia and North America; long pendulous Usneas in Colorado will probably be this one; U longissima is not reported.

filipendula = dasypoga/dasopoga?
substrate: bark, cork, plant surface – trunks, branches, twigs.
Collected 3 times in Colorado

florida
Apothecia: 2-12 mm in diam., terminal and lateral
Substrate and ecology: mainly on bark of Pinus spp. and Quercus spp. in pine-oak forests, between 1800 and 2550 m
World distribution: Europe, Taiwan, and Mexico
Collected in Colorado: USA, Colorado, Douglas, Devil's Head Campground, ca. 20 mi. SW of Sedalia; Pike National Forest; Rampart Range; Bryological Foray, 39.266667 -105.1, 2682m

fulvoreagens
Apothecia: not seen
Substrate and ecology: mainly on bark of Quercus spp. in low forests on exposed ridges or on shrubs in the chaparral between 200 and 500 m
World distribution: Europe, western and eastern North America

glabrata
Substrate and ecology: on bark of Quercus spp. and Pinus spp., and diverse scrubs in the chaparral or low oak and pine forests, between 0 and 500 m
World distribution: circumpolar in boreal, temperate and Mediterranean regions of the Northern Hemisphere

glabrescens
Apothecia: apparently reported, 5 mm in diameter
Substrate: bark—trunks, branches, twigs
World distribution: Europe, North America, Arctic
Collected 11 times in Colorado, at least 6 counties

hirta
Apothecia: rare, small, 1-3 mm in diam., subterminal
Substrate and ecology: on bark and dead trees or wood, very rarely on rock, in the mountains between 650 and 3600 m
World distribution: probably cosmopolitan on every continent

intermedia
Apothecia: 2-13 mm in diam., terminal, subterminal or lateral
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
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.

lapponica
Apothecia: not seen
Substrate and ecology: on bark, especially on Abies spp., Pinus spp., Picea spp, and Quercus spp., usually in mixed conifer forests, between 2300 and 3400 m
World distribution: holarctic, mainly in continental areas

parvula (apparently not in Colo?; but occurs in Mexico)

perplexans = lapponica (search gives list of 527 specimens, mostly lapponica)
Apothecia: not seen
Substrate and ecology: on bark, especially on Abies spp., Pinus spp., Picea spp, and Quercus spp.,
usually in mixed conifer forests, between 2300 and 3400 m
World distribution: holarctic, mainly in continental areas

sorediifera
Apothecia: not seen
Substrate and ecology: on bark, especially on Abies spp., Pinus spp., Picea spp, and Quercus spp., usually in mixed conifer forests, between 2300 and 3400 m
World distribution: holarctic, mainly in continental areas

subfloridana
Apothecia: not seen
Substrate and ecology: on bark (especially Quercus spp.), rarely on wood, coastal, mainly on in small oak forests or on diverse shrubs in the chaparral between 200 and 500 m or inland in the mountains on Quercus spp. and Pinus spp. between 1500 and 2800 m
World distribution: Eurasia, Macronesia, and North America

substerilis
Apothecia: not seen
Substrate and ecology: on bark (mainly Quercus spp., Pseudotsuga spp., Pinus spp., Abies spp., Picea spp.) mainly in montane forests between 1900 and 3300 m, rarely coastal in Quercus woodland
between 600 and 800 m
World distribution: circumpolar, mainly in continental areas

• List of Usnea species collected in Colorado, including synonyms(?):
  USNEA CIRROSA
  Usnea
  Usnea arizonica
  Usnea barbata
  Usnea barbata var. hirta
  Usnea cavernosa
  Usnea diplotypus
  Usnea filipendula
  Usnea florida
  Usnea fulvoreagens
  Usnea glabrata
  Usnea glabrescens
  Usnea glabrescens subsp. glabrella
  Usnea hawaiiensis
  Usnea hirta
  Usnea hirta var. minutissima
  Usnea intermedia
  Usnea lapponica
  Usnea rubicunda
  Usnea scabrata
  Usnea sorediifera
  Usnea strigosa
  Usnea stuppea
  Usnea subfloridana
  Usnea substerilis
  Usnea trichodea
  Usnea tristis

Posted on January 27, 2019 05:01 PM by slwhiteco