Physcia clementei (Sm.) Lynge

Data Set Maintenance: Data set compiled (Sonoran Desert Lichen Flora). Data set author(s): Bungartz F. (02-01-20) @EXCL@ Nash T.H. Data set reviewer(s): Nash T.H.; to be published after submission; February 2002.

Nomenclature: Current taxonomic status: accepted. Taxonomic rank: species. Currently accepted name Physcia clementei (Sm.) Lynge. Physcia. Physciaceae Zahlbr. (1898); Lecanorineae; Lecanorales.

Type Information: Basionym: Lichen clementei Sm. (1807). Type: Physcia clementei (Sm.) Lynge.

Biogeography: Northern hemispheric; Mediterranean (-temperate); coastal (in the Sonoran desert known only from the Channel islands; in the Sonoran desert). Continent: Europe and Northern America. Checklist records: Germany and Sonoran Desert.

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; corticolous or saxicolous (in open sites); episubstratic; growing sun-exposed or partially shaded; under conditions which are dry or moist.

Thallus: Foliose, subdivided into main parts, lobed; lobes ascending (ocassionally); concave or plane; separate thallus parts up to.5 mm wide. Thallus Size and Differentiation: Small; apex occasionally curved upwards; truncate (occasionally crenulate). Thallus Outline: Irregular or orbicular; soon disappearing. Upper Surface: Grey, white, or pale grey, dull matt, smooth; epruinose; eciliate; without hairs; isidiate; isidia clustered, pustular; sorediate (pustulate isidia often developing in granular soredia); soralia grey or pale grey, laminal, erose (granular soredia may fuse and cover the whole thallus) or irregular, fully excavated or slightly excavated, confluent, but not fusing, soredia coarse; not blastidiate or blastidiate (remains from isidia which may dissolve into granular soredia); not schizidiate; not lobulate. Lower Surface: Present, grey or white, dark grey in the centre, white along the margin, firmly attached attached; attached by holdfasts; rhizinate; rhizines sparse, grey (concolourous with underside) or white.

Upper Cortex: Present; outer cortical layer paraplectenchymatous; inner cortical layer prosoplectenchymatous. Medulla: White. Lower Cortex: Present.

Reproduction Strategy: With sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Orbicular, forming all across the thallus surface, soon sessile or substipitate, abundant, up to (2) mm in diam.. Margin: Lecanorine, often crenulate, persistent, prominent; not isidiate; not ciliate; not hirsute. Disk: Plane; black or brown. Epithecium: Apical cells spathulate (not spathulate), brown or pale brown. Hymenium: White; not inspers. Interascal Hyphae: Distinctly branched, not or scarcely anastomosed. Subhymenium: White. Hypothecium: White; not inspers.

Asci: Cylindrical.

Ascospores: Pachysporaria-type, c. 8 per ascus, ellipsoid; septa present; transversally septate; 1-transversally septate; wall thickened at the septum, becoming pigmented, dark brown, middle brown, or pale brown.

Conidiomata: Absent resp. not observed (not seen).

Secondary Metabolites: Present; only in the upper part of the cortex or throughout the thallus medulla, atranorin (lecotylin and other traces of triterpenes).

Spot Tests: Present reactions. Upper surface: K + deep yellow, C –, KC –, PD + yellow; cortex: KC + deep yellow, – medulla: K + yellow; C –, KC –, PD + red (yellow not red (atranorin)); soredia: K + deep yellow; KC –.

(report generated 13.Nov.2007)