Punctelia appalachensis
Punctelia appalachensis, commonly known as the Appalachian speckled shield lichen,[1] is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in the eastern United States[1] and eastern Canada.[2] The lichen was first formally described in 1962 by lichenologist William Culberson as a species of Parmelia. He collected the type specimen growing on tree bark in West Virginia,[3] Hildur Krog transferred it to the newly circumscribed genus Punctelia in 1982.[4]
Punctelia appalachensis | |
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A wet specimen found in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
Order: | Lecanorales |
Family: | Parmeliaceae |
Genus: | Punctelia |
Species: | P. appalachensis |
Binomial name | |
Punctelia appalachensis | |
Synonyms | |
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The thallus of Punctelia appalachensis is shiny and greenish-gray (drier individuals are bluish-grey);[5] the surface is covered with maculae (spots or blotches) and pseudocyphellae. The underside of the thallus is black, at least in the center, with pale brown edges.[1] Its dark underside allows it to be readily distinguished from other morphologically similar species in its range, such as Punctelia rudecta or P. caseana.[5] The lichen usually grows on the bark of trees, but is sometimes found growing on rock.[1]
References
- Brodo, Irwin M.; Sharnoff, Sylvia Duran; Sharnoff, Stephen (2001). Lichens of North America. Yale University Press. p. 606. ISBN 978-0300082494.
- Anderson, Francis (2014). Macrolichens of Nova Scotia: a provisional checklist, Curatorial Report Number 101 (Report). Halifax: Nova Scotia Museum. ISBN 978-1-55457-552-7.
- Culberson, W.L. (1962). "Some pseudocyphellate Parmeliae". Nova Hedwigia. 4 (3โ4): 563โ577.
- Krog, Hildur (1982). "Punctelia, a new lichen genus in the Parmeliaceae". Nordic Journal of Botany. 2 (3): 287โ292. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1982.tb01191.x.
- Tripp, Erin A.; Lendemer, James C. (2020). Field Guide to the Lichens of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press. p. 388. ISBN 978-1-62190-514-1.