| Bryoria kockiana | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Parmeliaceae |
| Genus: | Bryoria |
| Species: | B. kockiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Bryoria kockiana Velmala, Myllys & Goward (2013) | |
Bryoria kockiana (Kock's horsehair lichen [1] ) is a species of horsehair lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in North America, where it grows from the branches of conifer trees.
The lichen was described as a new species in 2013 by Saara Velmala, Leena Myllys, and Trevor Goward. The type specimen was collected in Fairbanks, Alaska in July 2011. The specific epithet kockiana honours Henry Kock, a horticulturalist from Ontario whose widow won an environmental fund-raising auction to purchase the right to name the species. It had previously been assigned to Bryoria implexa , but genetic analysis showed that this species is restricted in distribution to Europe and Asia, and its North America counterpart represented a different species. [2] A later DNA study corroborated the validity of the species. [3]
The thallus of Bryoria kockiana, which hangs from branches, can grow up to 27 cm (11 in). It is greyish brown or pale brown to brown in colour, which branches 0.1–0.2 mm in diameter. Propagules such as soralia, isidia and spinules are absent from the thallus. Pseudocyphellae (tiny pores that allow gas exchange) are brownish white to white, broad and elongated or filament-shaped and often raised somewhat, measuring 0.2–1.0 mm long by 0.1 mm wide. Lichen spot tests for the thallus are K− or K+ pale yellow, C−, KC−, PD+ yellow; these reactions indicate the presence of the secondary compounds psoromic acid, and sometimes also atranorin. [2]
Bryoria kockiana is endemic to North America, where it grows on conifer branches. It has been recorded from Alaska and British Columbia. [3]
Bryoria fremontii is a dark brown, horsehair lichen that grows hanging from trees in western North America, and northern Europe and Asia. It grows abundantly in some areas, and is an important traditional food for a few First Nations in North America.
Pseudephebe is a genus of fruticose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. It contains three species that grow on rocks.
Xanthoparmelia is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. This genus of lichen is commonly found in the United States, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Ecuador.
Gowardia is a genus of medium-sized, greyish hair lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. It is a circumpolar genus, mainly restricted to arctic-alpine habitats in northern Canada, Europe, and Russia.
Bryoria is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Parmeliaceae. Many members of this genus are known as horsehair lichens. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in boreal and cool temperate areas.
Bryoria hengduanensis is a species of lichen of the genus Bryoria. It was described as new to science in 2003 by lichenologists Li-Song Wang and Hiroshi Harada. It is found in the Hengduan Mountains of southern China, where it grows on twigs and branches in coniferous forests at elevations of 3,000–4,000 metres (9,800–13,100 ft). The Hengduan Mountains is a region of high Bryoria biodiversity, as 24 species are known from this area.
Bryoria implexa is a species of horsehair lichen in the family Parmeliaceae.
Raesaenenia is a fungal genus in the large family Parmeliaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single lichenicolous fungus Raesaenenia huuskonenii, which parasitises lichens of genus Bryoria in the Northern Hemisphere.
Parmelia mayi is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in the northern Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America, where it grows on rocks and on the trunks of paper birch and balsam fir. Parmelia mayi is morphologically indistinguishable from Parmelia saxatilis, but is distinct in its distribution, chemistry, and genetics.
Parmelia fraudans is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in Europe and North America, where it grows on rocks.
Gowardia zebrina is a rare species of fruticose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in Canada, it was formally described as a new species in 2020 by the lichenologists Trevor Goward and Leena Myllys. The type specimen was collected by Goward on Mount Cain at an altitude of 1,440 m (4,720 ft). Here the lichen was found growing on the lower branches of a hemlock tree. The specific epithet zebrina refers to the diagnostic alternating pale and dark banding pattern of the terminal branches. The lichen has a limited distribution, as it is only known to occur in coastal northwest North America, extending from the Insular Mountains of southern Vancouver Island north to Hazelton. Its preferred habitat is in open, wind-scoured old growth forests, and its preferred substrate is the trunks and lower branches of conifer trees like fir and hemlock.
Gowardia nigricans, commonly known as the gray hair lichen or gray witch's hair, is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae.
Gowardia arctica is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), fruticose (bushy) lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in arctic regions of Northern Canada and Russia, it was formally described as a new species in 2009 by Pekka Halonen, Leena Myllys, Saara Velmala, and Heini Hyvärinen. The type specimen was collected from Banks Island in Swan Lake ; here, at an elevation of 100 m (330 ft), it was found growing among mesic mountain heath. It also occurs along the Arctic Ocean coast of Russia. The lichen is richly branched, black to black-brown in colour, and reaches up to 13 cm (5.1 in) in diameter. It contains alectorialic acid and two other unknown lichen products.
Verrucaria oulankaensis is a rare species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Verrucariaceae. It is found in north-eastern Finland, where it occurs on calcareous rocks on river shores.
Sulcaria spiralifera is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in the northwestern United States, where it grows as an epiphyte, hanging from a variety of tree species in open or shaded maritime forests.
Hypogymnia amplexa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in the western United States and Canada.
Tuckermannopsis orbata, commonly known as the variable wrinkle lichen, is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is a small cetrarioid lichen, an informal growth form category that denotes lichens with erect, foliose thalli, and apothecia and pycnidia on the margins of the ruffled lobes. Tuckermannopsis orbata is found in Asia and North America, growing primarily on the wood and bark of mostly birch and coniferous tree branches and twigs.
Melanohalea exasperatula, commonly known as the lustrous camouflage lichen or lustrous brown-shield, is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It has a widespread global distribution and is common in both Europe and northern North America. Its thallus can grow up to 5 cm (2 in) in diameter, with marginal lobes up to 5 mm broad. The upper surface is pale olive-green to red-brown, with isidia that are unbranched, inflated, and hollow. It can be distinguished from similar species by the shape and structure of these isidia. The lower surface of the thallus is pale tan to pale brown with scattered, pale rhizines. Apothecia are uncommon, while pycnidia and secondary metabolites have not been observed in this species. The lack of defensive chemicals makes it vulnerable to grazing by slugs and snails. The evolutionary history of Melanohalea exasperatula is linked to major climatic events during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs.
Ramboldia gowardiana is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Ramboldiaceae. First discovered in 2003 in Montana, United States, it typically appears as a grayish or greenish crust on tree bark, particularly on conifers like pines and firs. The lichen is characterised by its small, bright red to orange-red reproductive structures (apothecia) visible on its surface. R. gowardiana is found in dry, temperate forests from Alaska to California, often at elevations between 300 and 1,400 meters. Initially classified in a different genus, it was reclassified as Ramboldia in 2008 based on genetic studies. This lichen is part of the biodiversity of the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
Trevor Goward is a Canadian environmentalist and lichenologist known for his contributions to lichenology and his environmental conservation, particularly in British Columbia. Goward has authored numerous publications on lichens, including taxonomic guides, and has conducted observational studies that challenge established scientific understandings of lichen symbiosis. Despite lacking formal training in biology, he has served as the curator of the University of British Columbia's lichen herbarium since 1989 and has had several lichen species named in his honour.