Phaeophyscia
Family: Physciaceae
Phaeophyscia image
Jason Hollinger
  • Greater Sonoran Desert
  • Resources
Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.
Thallus: foliose or rarely erect-subfruticose, small to medium sized, moderately to loosely attached, lobate lobes: linear and discrete to somewhat more rounded, irregular or flabellate upper surface: gray to brown or dark brown, without a granular or crystalline pruina, but occasionally with an epinecral layer that becomes patchy and pruinalike, occasionally with coarse (multicellular) cortical hairs (15-20 µm wide at base and tapered to a point and 50-150 µm long), usually near lobe ends; a few species with sparse to dense, tiny, hyphal hairs (one cell wide and mostly 10-15(-25) µm long) on lobe ends upper cortex: paraplectenchymatous medulla: white or occasionally orange to red lower cortex: paraplectenchymatous lower surface: usually dark brown to black at least in older parts, a few species remaining pale, white to tan or pale brown, sparsely to moderately rhizinate; rhizines: usually concolorous with the lower surface, simple or in a few species becoming rather sparsely squarrosely branched Apothecia: with thalline exciple asci: clavate, 8-spored ascospores: Physcia-type or Pachysporaria-type, brown, 1-septate, 16-28 x 5.5-11 µm Pycnidia: blackened and immersed or weakly emergent conidia: ellipsoid, 2.5-4 x c. 1 µm, in one species cylindrical and 7-12 µm long Secondary metabolites: terpenoids, anthraquinones, but sometimes in variable concentrations or, in many species, lacking altogether Geography: primarily temperate or boreal, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia Substrate: on bark, wood, rock, soil or mosses. Phaeophyscia: occurring in the Sonoran Region
Species within checklist: Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Phaeophyscia ciliata
Image of Phaeophyscia ciliata
Phaeophyscia hirsuta
Image of Phaeophyscia hirsuta
Phaeophyscia nigricans
Image of Phaeophyscia nigricans

This project made possible by National Science Foundation Awards: #1115116