Aspicilia cinerea

Aspicilia cinerea (cinder lichen) is a gray to almost white, 1.5–15 cm (0.59–5.91 in) wide, crustose areolate lichen with large apothecia that mostly grows on rock in the mountains.[1][2]^: 224 It grows in variable forms, from having a continuous surface to being areolate.[2]^: 224 It grows in Eurasia, and North America on siliceous rock, schist or igneous rock in habitats exposed to sunlight, also rarely on calciferous rock.[1] It is common in Arizona, and rare in California and Baja California at elevations of 1,700 to 3,300 metres (5,600 to 10,800 ft).[1]

Aspicilia cinerea
Aspicilia cinerea
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Lecanoromycetes
Order:	Pertusariales
Family:	Megasporaceae
Genus:	Aspicilia
Species:	A. cinerea
Binomial name
Aspicilia cinerea (L.) Körb. (1855)
Synonyms
Lichen cinereus L. (1767)

Flat to almost convex areoles are angular to irregular, and 0.2–2 mm in diameter.[1] They are contiguous but clearly separated by well defined cracks.[1] It usually lacks a prothallus.[1] It may be rimose toward the outer edges.[1] Each areole has 1–10, round to angular or irregular, 0.1–1.6 mm apothecia that may be confluent when numerous.[1] Apothecia have usually black concave discs, with exciple margins of thallus tissue.[1] Asci are club shaped (clavate), with 8 ellipsoid ascospores.[1]

Lichen spot tests on the cortex and medulla are K+ red, KC−, P+ yellow[2]^: 224 or P+ orange,[1] with the medulla sometimes testing K+ yellow and P+ orange.[2]^: 224 Secondary metabolites include norstictic acid and often connorstictic acid in traces, and more rarely hyposalazinic acid.[1]

The photobiont is a chlorococcoid.[1]