Lichens

Specimen # 11: Flavoparmelia caperata, Common Greenshield Lichen

Figure 1: Flavoparmelia caperata on its original substrate. This foliose lichen was found on the bark of a living deciduous tree.

Figure 2: Flavoparmelia caperata at a scale of 20 um. The left-hand picture is the upper cortex of the thallus. The right-hand picture is the lower cortex of the thallus. Notice the “fuzzy” medulla that is exposed from the fragmentation of the thallus.

Name: Flavoparmelia caperata

Common Name: Common Greenshield Lichen

Family: Parmeliaceae

Collection Date: September 3, 2016

Habitat: Grows on a variety of tree species, but never on rock. Prefers open locations with plenty of sunlight. Found on both tree boles and upper limbs and in dense forest it is present only on the upper branches. It is also sometimes found on weathered wood like fence rails and posts.

Location: On the bark of a deciduous tree about 6 feet from the ground. The tree is located alongside a mowed path on Slagle Road in Ohio.

Description: This foliose lichen has broad, rounded lobes and frequently grows as a nearly round thallus up to 4 inches in diameter. The upper surface is a rather dull, light yellow-green color. This lichen produces soredia scattered over the surface, and the central, older portion of the thallus can be wrinkled. The undersurface is black, shading to brown at the lobe tips.

Key Used: Ohio Division of Wildlife. 2015. Common Lichens of Ohio Field Guide.

Keying Steps:

Pg. 28: Based on visual description. This specimen has a pale, yellow-green coloration and a black underside. It was also found growing on a tree.

Specimen # 12: Leparia lobificans, Fluffy Dust Lichen

Figure 1: Leparia lobificans on its original substrate. This crustose lichen was found on the underside of a large boulder. Notice how it grows in a large, indistinct mass. There was even a Pillbug nesting underneath this lichen! Sadly, it surprised me and ran away before a quality picture could be taken.

Figure 2: Leparia lobificans at a scale of 20 um. The left-hand picture is the upper cortex of the thallus. The right-hand picture is the medulla of the lichen, which was directly attached to substrate. The tiny hair/root-like structures are the rhizoids.

Name: Leparia lobificans

Common Name: Fluffy Dust Lichen

Family: Stereocaulaceae

Collection Date: September 22, 2016

Habitat: Grows on rocks and trees in shade. One of the most shade tolerant lichens and can sometimes be found where no other lichens grow.

Location: On the underside of a large boulder in Squaw Rock in South Chagrin Nature Preserve in Solon, Ohio.

Description: Has a fairly thick, fluffy thallus consisting almost entirely of soredia. The color of the thallus is a pale yellow-green to greenish gray. The thallus can have rounded edges but  is often an indistinct mass.

Key Used: Ohio Division of Wildlife. 2015. Common Lichens of Ohio Field Guide.

Keying Steps:

Pg. 17: Based on visual description. This specimen was greenish gray in color with a pale yellow underside. It formed as an indistinct mass on the underside of a boulder with little to no sunlight.  

Lichen Links:

http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/117943-Flavoparmelia-caperata

http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/fluffy_dust_lichen