Group
3 (continued):
Thallus with many spreading dissected lobes,
growing on trees rocks and moss
Name:
Candelaria concolor
Description:
Thallus is bright yellow or
greenish yellow. The rounded thallus
lobes and the white undersides of the
thalli makes it easily recognized. The
entire specimen in the illustration is
no larger than 3/16 of an inch. Look
for tiny bright yellow or yellowish
green spots on limbs. Use a hand lens
of 10 power or more on this and the
following species.
Habitats:
Grows on dead limbs and bark of
birch, aspen, spruce and hemlock.
Range:
All of South Central
Alaska.
Note:
This species is not firmly attached
to the substrate as it is in the
following species.
|
Candelaria
concolor
|
Xanthoria
candeleria
|
Name:
Xanthoria candeleria
Description:
Thallus very small without round lobes.
The entire specimen is often less than
1/4 of an inch broad. The color is
bright yellowish orange, and it is
firmly attached to the substrate.
Habitat/s:
On trunks of spruce trees, often to a
considerable height. During wet summers
it will grow on nearly any surface,
rocks, cement walls, and even
fiberglass roofing.
Range:
All of South Central Alaska. More
common it areas or periods of heavy
rain.
|
Name:
Cavernularia lophrea
Description:
Thallus green when wet becoming
light tan or gray when dry. The entire
plant is often only one or two inches
wide, and the underside is blackish.
There are small black apothecia near
the center when reproducing.
Habitat/s:
Common on dead branches and fallen
limbs of spruce and hemlocks. It does
however occur on some dead deciduous
trees on the Kenai
Peninsula.
Range:
All of South Central Alaska.
|
Cavernularia
lophrea
|
Parmeliopsis ambigua
|
Name:
Parmeliopsis ambigua
Description:
Thallus light greenish yellow, when
wet, ash gray when dry. It has whitish
soralia (minute rounded clumps of
tissue) at the edges and/or tips of
thallus. The lower surface of the
thallus is brown to black.
Habitat/s:
Common on the lower trunks and fallen
branches of spruce and hemlock,
Sometimes found on the lower trunks of
cottonwood (Populus) or dead limbs on
the forest floor.
Range:
All of South Central Alaska.
Note:
Pictured specimen has more soralia than
many one might observe
|
Name:
Hypogymnia physodes
Description:
Thallus very light yellowish green
when wet and light gray when dry.
Highly variable; often having narrower
thallus than the one illustrated.
Habitat/s:
Dead twigs on spruce trees or on
fallen limbs.
Range:
All of South Central Alaska. Very
common on the Kenai
Peninsula.
Note:
This is perhaps the most common
lichen growing on dead tree limbs, and
bark or trunks of living trees, in
south Central Alaska.
Photo
Insert (1) of a dried pressed
specimen.
|
Hypogymnia physodes
|
Xanthoparmelia
taractica
|
Name:
Xanthoparmelia taractica
Description:
Thallus light green to yellowish,
and testing dark yellow to reddish with
chlorine bleach. There are conspicuous
apothecia present near the center of
the thallus. There are a number of
conspecific forms.
Habitat/s:
Spruce bark of limbs and twigs,
some forms are found on open
soil.
Range:
All of South Central Alaska. Most
abundant in wet habitats.
|
Name:
Persuraria multipunctata
Description:
Crustose, creating white patches
which are easily seen. The individual
growths are often very small. (use hand
lens) Apothecia are abundant with
whitish gray, to dark brown tops, The
illustration is greatly
enlarged.
Habitat/s:
Aspen and birch bark. These white
patches of lichen are easily seen, even
when growing on white bark. Occurs on
rocks and other trees in some
locations.
Range:
All of South Central
Alaska.
|
Persuraria multipunctata
|
Group
4: Lichens with squamulose thallus at their bases,
some species have squamules covering their entire
surface. Most with upright podetia (stalk-like
structures) and some having cup-like
tops.
Cladonia
verticillata
|
Name:
Cladonia verticillata
Description:
Thallus small and chinky, at the
base of tall, often cupped and branched
podetia. Apothesia usually dark brown
growing on the rim of the cups. All
parts are light greenish yellow.
Habitat/s:
At the base of evergreen trees, and
on stumps and moss.
Range:
All of South Central Alaska.
|
Name:
Cladina stellaris.
Description:
This snow-white to whitish-tan
lichen is distinctive, they look like
small trees. They are common and need
no descriptive text.
Habitat/s:
Open woods, in groups on soil or
growing with mosses.
Range:
All of South Central Alaska.
|
Cladina
stellaris
|
Cladonia
cariosa
|
Name:
Cladonia cariosa
Description:
The podetia are white to grayish
white and the abundant apothecia at the
tops are dark brown. The podetia are
usually covered with small thallus
pieces called areoles.
Habitat/s:
Grows on old stumps and at the
base of old trees.
Range:
All of South Central
Alaska.
Note:
Specimens with lighter or rusty
colored apothecia are members of this
species.
|
Name:
Cladonia pleurota (usually about 1
inch tall)
Description:
Podetia is greenish and has yellow
tints. The cups are single with many
small notches and some elongated red
apothecia on top. A singular specie
easily identified.
Habitat/s:
On moss, stumps, and most old
fallen dead wood.
Range:
Forests and other shady moist
areas.
Note:
A dark colored form is common on
dead willows and spruce near Tangle
Lakes, Denali Highway.
|
Cladonia
pleurota
|
Cladonia
pixidata
|
Name:
Cladonia pixidata
Description:
Podetia and cups are gray covered with
squamules, giving them a granular
appearance. Apothecia at the top of
cups are dark brown, often black. The
squamules at the base of the podetia
are rather large.
Habitat/s:
Found on rocks and open soil, often
found in old gravel pits.
Range:
All of South Central Alaska.
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- Continued
on PAGE 4
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