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Data Set Maintenance: Data set compiled (from Sonoran Desert Lichen Flora Vol. 1). Data set author(s): Bungartz F. (02-02-21).

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

Biogeography: Submontane and montane. Continent: Northern America and Southern America. Checklist records: Mexico and Sonoran Desert.

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; corticolous; episubstratic; growing sun-exposed or partially shaded; under conditions which are dry or moist.

Thallus: Foliose, subdivided into main parts, usually dispersed throughout and distinctly seperate, lobed; lobes convex; not imbricate (wider lobes sometimes overlapping); separate thallus parts narrow. Thallus Size and Differentiation: Up to 5 cm in diameter. Thallus Outline: Irregular or orbicular. Upper Surface: Maculate (whitish); more or less pruinose; eciliate; without hairs; not isidate; sorediate; soralia peripheral (situated in the lobe sinuses), sometimes helmet-shaped or sometimes labriform (semicircular to upwardly curved), erose; not blastidiate; not schizidiate; not lobulate. Lower Surface: Present, white or pale brown (to brownish), firmly attached attached; attached by holdfasts (true rhizines); rhizinate; rhizines more or less abundant, grey, brownish brown, or white (for all 2, 6 and 8: of same colour or darker than lower surface), without projections or with projections (rhizines simple to sparsely furcate), sparsely furcate; not sorediate; not tomentose.

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

Reproduction Strategy: With sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Apothecioid, orbicular, soon sessile or substipitate, moderately abundant or abundant, up to 1 mm in diam.. Margin: Lecanorine, persistent, distinct; sometimes sorediate; not isidiate; not ciliate; not hirsute. Disk: Plane; often pruinose, pruina white. Epithecium: With epithecium (simple or forked); apical cells subulate (clavate with dark brown cap), pale brown. Hymenium: White; not inspers. Interascal Hyphae: Scarcely branched (paraphyses simple or forked above). Subhymenium: White. Hypothecium: White; not inspers.

Ascospores: Pachysporaria-type, c. 8 per ascus, ellipsoid, (16)-19.5-24-(25) µm long, (7.5)-8.5-11-(14) µm wide; septa present; transversally septate; 1-transversally septate; wall thickened at the septum, becoming pigmented, dark brown (at maturity) or middle brown.

Conidia: Bacilliform (not bacilliform: cylindrical); 4-6 µm long; 1 µm wide.

Secondary Metabolites: Present; throughout the thallus medulla (atranorin, zeorin and some unknown triterpenes), atranorin or hopane-6a,22-diol, metabolite(s) of unresolved identity: present (triterpenes).

Spot Tests: Present reactions. Upper surface: K + deep yellow, C –, KC –, PD + yellow; cortex: KC + deep yellow, –, PD + yellow; medulla: K + yellow; C –, KC –, PD + deep yellow; soredia: K + deep yellow; KC –.

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