Physcia phaea (Tuck.) J.W. Thomson

Beih. Nova Hedwigia, 7: 54, 1963. Basionym: Parmelia phaea Tuck. in Darlington - Flora Cestrica, ed. 3: 440, 1853.
Synonyms: Physcia aipolia subsp. phaea (Tuck.) Clauzade & Cl. Roux; Physcia melops Dufour ex Nyl.
Distribution: N - TAA, VA (Matteucci & al. 2015c).
Description: Thallus foliose, heteromerous, dorsiventral, narrow-lobed, closely adnate, forming orbicular to irregular, up to 5 cm wide rosettes, several thalli sometimes merging to cover larger surfaces. Lobes up to 1(-1.5) mm wide, flat or slightly convex, distinctly separated or more or less imbricate. Upper surface grey to dark grey or brownish grey, usually strongly maculate and more or less rugose; lower surface white to brownish, with white to black, scattered, simple rhizines. Upper cortex paraplectenchymatous; medulla white; lower cortex prosoplectenchymatous. Apothecia common, lecanorine, up to 1.5(-2) mm across, with a brown to black, sometimes white-pruinose disc and a first crenulate, then smooth thalline margin. Epithecium brown; hymenium and hypothecium colourless; paraphyses slender, simple or forked in upper part, the apical cells clavate, with a thin, dark brown cap. Asci 8-spored, clavate, the K/I+ blue tholus penetrated by a faintly amyloid apical cushion with parallel or diverging flanks, the wall K/I-, surrounded by a K/I+ blue outer layer, Lecanora-type. Ascospores 1-septate, brown, ellipsoid, 15-21.5 x 6.5-11 µm, the wall thickened at apex and at septum, Physcia-type. Pycnidia black, usually abundant, immersed. Conidia subcylindrical, 4-6 x 1 µm. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: upper cortex and medulla K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P- or P+ faintly yellow. Chemistry: upper cortex with atranorin; medulla with atranorin, zeorin and rarely other triterpenes.
Note: an arctic-alpine to boreal-montane, circumpolar lichen found on siliceous rocks slightly manured by birds, with optimum above treeline, up to the nival belt in the Alps. The record from Emilia by Valcuvia & Delucchi (2001), being dubious, is not accepted here.
Growth form: Foliose, narrow lobed
Substrata: rocks
Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia
Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

Alpine belt: very rare
Subalpine belt: extremely rare
Oromediterranean belt: absent
Montane belt: absent
Submediterranean belt: absent
Padanian area: absent
Humid submediterranean belt: absent
Humid mediterranean belt: absent
Dry mediterranean belt: absent

pH of the substrata:

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Solar irradiation:

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Aridity:

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Eutrophication:

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Poleotolerance:

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Altitudinal distribution:

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Predictive model
Herbarium samples
Index Fungorum GBIF

Einar Timdal - Source: http://nhm2.uio.no/lav/web/index.html - CC BY-NC



P.L. Nimis; Owner: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste
Herbarium: TSB (28992)
2001/12/15



Felix Schumm – CC BY-SA 4.0
[5729], Canada, Ontario, Discovery Trail, Sharbot Lake Provincial Park, UTM Grid Reference: c364300 495900. Frontenac County. Easily removed from boulders. Leg. S.R. Olszewski, 08.08.1989 [No. 2493b], det S.R. Olszewski, 22.04.1990



Felix Schumm – CC BY-SA 4.0
[5729], Canada, Ontario, Discovery Trail, Sharbot Lake Provincial Park, UTM Grid Reference: c364300 495900. Frontenac County. Easily removed from boulders. Leg. S.R. Olszewski, 08.08.1989 [No. 2493b], det S.R. Olszewski, 22.04.1990



Felix Schumm – CC BY-SA 4.0
[5729], Canada, Ontario, Discovery Trail, Sharbot Lake Provincial Park, UTM Grid Reference: c364300 495900. Frontenac County. Easily removed from boulders. Leg. S.R. Olszewski, 08.08.1989 [No. 2493b], det S.R. Olszewski, 22.04.1990


Ulrich Kirschbaum CC BY-SA 4.0 - Source: https://www.thm.de/lse/ulrich-kirschbaum/flechtenbilder
Austria: Alps. (2700 m, on gneiss)