""White Gold" rock lichen and more"

Description:

This foliose lichen at center/top seems to best resemble Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca (Sm.) Zopf. As with many/most species of non-vascular plants, this lichen doesn't seem to have a common name. Since "Chryso" means white or whitish (referring no doubt to the thallus), and "leuca" means gold (referring to no doubt to the apothecia which can be pale orange to bright orange or perhaps also to the well-defined rimmed, i.e. lecanorine, apothecia), I have coined a not terribly clever non-scientific name for it in the caption.At the center/bottom, there seems to be a second species of lichen with the one above sometimes poking through; note the greenish to light olive colored apothecia which aren't described for Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca and unless it is a developmental stage, the lichen below might be Rhizoplaca melanophthalma.A third, small, physiod lichen species is at center-right (and there are others, e.g. the yellowish specks).On the right side, the dessicated moss along as well as the one immediately to its right are Pterygoneurum ovatum. At the center-right is a bit of Syntrhicia ruralis.January 10, 2013, Salt Lake County foothills, Utah, approx. 4800 ft., growing on quartzite rock outcrops.