The Lichen of British Columbia

LICHINODIUM Nyl. The Bearhair Lichens Minute nonstratified fruticose (shrub) globose, colourless, to eight per ascus. lichens, consisting of rosettes of decum- Over rock-dwelling lichens and bark of bent to semi-erect branches, these black- conifers. ish (translucent when moist), round in cross-section, slender, to .‒. (–.) References: Henssen (1963, 1968); mm long and 40–80 (–150) µm wide, dull, Arvidsson (1979). noncorticate, brittle, solid, rather sparsely Common Name: Fanciful. branched; branching irregular. Soredia, Notes: Lichinodium is a primarily temper- isidia, pseudocyphellae, and medulla ate genus consisting of four species absent. Attached to substrate by colourless worldwide. Three of these have been hairlike rhizoids. Photobiont cyanobacter- reported from North America, and two ial, Scytonema, cells in two to several from British Columbia. No chemical rows, to 9–15 (–17) µm along long axis. substances have been reported. Ascocarp an apothecium, borne Two keys are provided: the first is to laterally, unknown in local material, Lichinodium, and the second is to disc pale brown, to 0.2–0.8 mm across. L. canadense and similar small, black- Spores 1-celled, ellipsoid to nearly ish, tree-dwelling fruticose lichens. KEY TO LICHINODIUM 1a Over conifer bark in humid old-growth forests; branches to 0.4–0.8 mm long . Lichinodium canadense 1b Over rock-dwelling lichens (and mosses), apparently restricted to nonforested sites; branches to 1–2 mm long . Lichinodium sirosiphoideum KEY TO LICHINODIUM CANADENSE AND SIMILAR SMALL BLACKISH FRUTICOSE LICHENS OCCURRING OVER TREES 1a Conspicuous, to more than 7.0 mm long; medulla present, white, usual- 2a ly distinct; photobiont 1-celled (check under LM); soredia present or x8 absent; distribution various . 2 2a Thallus erect-shrublike; branch tips bearing dense isidia-like struc- tures(←), basal portions proportionately broad, often bearing a tomentum of tiny, erect hairs; photobiont distinctly greyish green (check under LM); humid regions . Sticta oroborealis 2b Thallus pendent to rarely erect-shrublike; branch tips never isidiate; basal portions proportionately slender, never tomentose; photobiont medium green; distribution various . Bryocaulon, Bryoria, Nodobryoria (see key under Bryoria) LICHENS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA – PART 2, FRUTICOSE SPECIES 1b Inconspicuous, to less than 6 mm long; medulla absent or indistinct; photobiont at least in part in strands or chains (check lobe tips in long-section); humid regions (Note: reliable identification of the following species requires careful study under LM). 3 4a 3a Cellular cortex present, distinct; photobiont Nostoc: composed entirely of x400 globose to oval cells to less than 7 µm along long axis . Leptogium 3b Cellular cortex present or absent; photobiont Scytonema or Stigonema, or at least obviously not Nostoc: composed in part of rectangular to lens-shaped cells to more than 8 µm along long axis (check branch tips) . 4 4a Photobiont Stigonema, arranged in an irregular “brickwork” pat- tern(←); branching “true”; thallus dark above, but often somewhat pale in basal portions, often bearing scattered hairlike rhizoids . Spilonema sp. 1 5a 4b Photobiont Scytonema or at least not Stigonema, arranged in roughly parallel rows, branching “false”; thallus dark throughout; rhizoids present or absent . 5 5a Photobiont strands arranged mostly in a single row(←); branches bluish grey; over deciduous shrubs . Unknown 3 5b Photobiont strands arranged mostly in two or more roughly 6a x400 parallel rows; branches variously coloured (including bluish grey); over conifers . 6 6a Cellular cortex absent (i.e., cross-walls lacking(←)); branches dull, blackish . Lichinodium canadense 6b Cellular cortex present (cross-walls evident in surface view under LM); branches often somewhat shiny, greyish, bluish, 6a brownish, or occasionally blackish . 7 x25 7a Branches distinctly constricted at intervals and/or bearing hairlike rhizoids below, these solitary, tufted, or scattered along the length of the branches. 8 8a x400 8a Branches to 0.5 mm long, distinctly constricted at intervals(←); rhizoids mostly scattered . Unknown 1 8b Branches to 2–4 mm long, not at all distinctly constricted; rhizoids generally in part tufted . Unknown 2 7b Branches neither distinctly contorted nor bearing hair- 9a like rhizoids. 9 x400 9a Photobiont strands to 10–15 µm wide, arranged in two (or occasionally three!) rows in vicinity of 9b branch tips(←) (check in long-section), the rows x400 generally oriented parallel to one another; primarily intermontane in humid regions . Polychidium dendriscum 9b Photobiont strands to 5–12 µm wide, arranged in more than two rows in vicinity of branch tips(←), the rows generally not oriented parallel to one another; primarily coastal in humid regions . Polychidium “contortum” LICHINODIUM Lichinodium canadense Henssen Map 82 Old-growth bearhair Habitat/Range: Rare over conifer branches in humid intermontane (ICH) old-growth “rain forests” at lower elevations; western N Am, N to (sAK), S to BC. Variability: Low. Notes: The holotype specimen was collected from the vicinity of Sicamous. Lichinodium sirosiphoideum Nyl. Map 83 Parasitic bearhair Habitat/Range: Rare over rock-dwelling mosses and lichens, especially Parmelia, in humid intermontane localities at lower to middle elevations; western N Am - eastern N Am - western Eurasia, N to AK, S to BC. Variability: Low. Notes: For points of distinction with tiny, blackish, rock-dwelling fruticose lichens similar to L. sirosiphoideum, see the key under Spilonema. LICHENS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA – PART 2, FRUTICOSE SPECIES LOXOSPOROPSIS Henssen The Tree-coral Lichen Small stratified “fruticose” (club) lichen, (–1.0) mm wide. Spores 2- to 6-celled, consisting of a basal crust and dense narrowly spindle-shaped/fusiform, colour- assemblages of stalklike isidia. Basal crust less, to eight per ascus. Pycnidia rare. smooth, white, corticate, often support- Over conifer bark. ing sparse to dense patches of erect isidia, these white, round in cross-section, slen- References: Brodo and Henssen (1995). der, to .‒ (‒.) mm long and Common Name: Describes the habitat 0.07–0.15 µm wide, rather dull, corticate, ecology and the long, white, coralloid brittle, solid, unbranched, or rather isidia. sparsely branched; branching irregular. Notes: Loxosporopsis occurs in humid Soredia and pseudocyphellae absent. regions at temperate latitudes. It com- Medulla white. Photobiont green, chloro- prises only one species. Though techni- coccoid: Trebouxia. cally crustose, it is included here owing Ascocarp an apothecium, borne over to its conspicuous, elongate, “fruticose” surface of crust, disc brownish, to 0.5–0.8 isidia. Loxosporopsis corallifera Brodo, Henssen & Imshaug The tree-coral x25 Habitat/Range: Frequent over conifer bark in open coastal, especially maritime forests at lower elevations, also rare in sheltered old-growth “rain forests” in humid intermontane (ICH) regions; western N Am, N to sAK, S to WA, OR, CA. Reactions: Cortex UV+ whitish or bluish white. Contents: Divaricatic acid (and gyrophoric acid and various unidentified substances in the apothecia). Variability: High. Notes: The isidia can be sparse in some populations. An isotype specimen of this species comes from Maude Island, in the Queen Charlotte Islands. LOXOSPOROPSIS MICROCALICIUM Vainio The Brooms Minute “fruticose” microfungi, consisting Over bark, wood, and overhanging acid of immersed basal threads/hyphae and rocks. Also over Calicium, Chaenotheca, stalked or unstalked apothecia. Either other crust lichens, and free-living algal parasitic (i.e., living off the basal crusts of crusts. lichens or free-living algae) or saprobic (i.e., living off dead material). Photobiont References: Tibell (1975, 1978, 1994), Purvis absent. Basal hyphae immersed in sub- et al. (1992: Purvis); E.B. Peterson, strate, not readily discernible. Oregon State University, pers. comm., Apothecia stalks, when present, dark 1999. greenish to blackish or occasionally Common Name: Reflects the resemblance brownish, to 0.6–1.8 mm long (including of the extruding greenish mazaedia to apothecial heads) and 150–250 µm wide the bristles of a broom. (excluding heads), scurfy-pruinose, brit- Notes: Microcalicium is widely distributed tle, unbranched. Apothecial heads/capit- at temperate and cool temperate lati- ula unstalked/sessile or borne at stalk tips, tudes, and comprises four species narrowly cuplike to hemispherical, con- worldwide. Three of these occur in sisting of an upwardly expanding excipu- North America, all of which are present lum and a powdery spore mass/ in British Columbia. Though not tech- mazaedium, this dark greenish. Spores 1- nically a lichen genus, Microcalicium is to 4-celled, 6–11 µm long, greenish under traditionally treated by lichenologists, LM, ornamented with spirally arranged and is included here owing to its char- ridges, arising from short-lived asci. acteristic stalked apothecia. KEY TO MICROCALICIUM 1a 1a Apothecia more or less unstalked(←); spore mass/mazaedium often dis- x50 tinctly extruding from the excipulum; spores to more than 9 µm long; over bark or wood of standing conifers; frequent . Microcalicium disseminatum 1b Apothecia distinctly stalked; mazaedium distinctly extruding or not; spores mostly to 6–8 (–11!) µm long; habitat various; rare . 2 2a Apothecia (including stalks) generally to more than 1.0 mm long; 2b ← x40 excipulum well developed; mazaedium not at all extruding( ); over crustose lichens or free-living algae on rock

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