Image of Physcia adscendens

Description:

Slo.: ? - syn.: Physcia aipolia var. anthelina (Ach.) Zahlbr., Xanthoria aipolia var. anthelina (Ach.) Horw. - Habitat: abandoned pastures with scattered trees; moderately inclined mountain slope, south-east aspect; relatively warm and dry place; calcareous ground, sunny place; exposed to direct rain; average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevations 600 m (1.950 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: bark of smaller branches of a stand-alone, recently cut down Juglans regia. Comment: Physcia adscendens is a common but rather small lichen (a few cm across), growing on smooth tree bark and rocks. When dry it is not really an attractive species. Genus Physcia includes many species, which are not always easy to determine to species level. However, Physcia adscendens is easy to recognize. Its white maculated (spotted) lobes have on their margins characteristic long, darker tipped cilia. The fertile lobes are helmet- or hood-shaped at their ends. Inner side of them (that is between upper and lower cortex of the thallus) is covered by brighter, yellowish colored soredia. Apothecia are rare, up to 2 mm in diameter and almost stalked. The pictures were taken after several days of heavy rains. The lichens were soaked with water and hence in their full colors. When dry the thallus of Physcia adscendens is more or less whitish or gray or pale greenish-gray. Ref.: (1) V. Wirth, Die Flechten Baden-Wrttembergs, Teil.2., Ulmer (1995), p 730. (2) F.S. Dobson, Lichens, The Richmonds Publishing Ca.LTD (2005), p 338. (3) Ian Atherton, Ed., Mosses and Liverworts of Britain and Ireland - a field guide, British Bryological Society (2010), p 255. (4) C.W.Smith, et all, The lichens of Great Britain and Ireland,The British Lichen Society,(2009), p 700. (5) I.M. Brodo, S.D. Sharnoff, S.Sharnoff, Lichens of North America, Yale Uni. Press (2001), p 549. (6) V. Wirth, R. Duell, Farbatlas Flechten und Moose, Ulmer, (2000), p 83. (7) http://www.lichens.lastdragon.org/Physcia_adscendens.html (accessed 24.1.2018)