| Lepraria crassissima | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Stereocaulaceae |
| Genus: | Lepraria |
| Species: | L. crassissima |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepraria crassissima | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Lepraria crassissima is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. [2] It occurs in Australia and Europe, when it grows on rocks and on mosses growing on rocks.
The species was first described as Crocynia crassissima by Auguste-Marie Hue in 1924, [3] and was later transferred to Lepraria by Georg Lettau in 1958. [4] The type specimen was collected in France, with an isotype housed in the herbarium of the Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum (B). [5]
This lichen forms a membranous to cottony crust with edges that are usually clearly defined. While lobes may sometimes be present, they are poorly defined. It has a distinctive very thick white medulla, and its lower surface is distinct and folded, varying from smooth to woolly in texture, and white to brownish in colour. Older specimens often show eroded patches where the medulla is exposed. The reproductive structures consist of abundant coarse granules (soredia) up to 300–400 micrometres in diameter, with projecting threads (hyphae) that can be short to long. Well-developed specimens may develop large granules or warts that somewhat resemble isidia but lack a cortex , and these may become sorediate. [5]
The species contains divaricatic acid, nordivaricatic acid (usually major, rarely trace amounts), and zeorin (major to minor amounts). Chemical spot test results are K−, C+ (rose-red), KC−, and Pd−. [5]
Lepraria crassissima grows on siliceous rock and epilithic mosses, and sometimes occurs on bark or calcareous rock. It is found in shaded, humid environments. The species has been recorded from Europe and Australia. [5]
Lepraria incana is a species of dust lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. First described scientifically by Johann Jacob Dillenius in 1741, and then formally by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, it is the type species of the genus Lepraria. The thallus of this species is green to greyish-green, and powdery – as if made of tiny granules. These granules are soredia, which are asexual reproductive structures. Like most members of genus Lepraria, the lichen has few distinguishing features, lacking both a medulla and sexual reproductive structures (apothecia). Chemically, the lichen is characterised by the presence of the secondary chemicals known as divaricatic acid and zeorin.
Lepraria bergensis is an uncommon crustose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in Northern and Central Europe, where it grows on siliceous (silicon-rich) rock walls, particularly under small overhangs, and on mosses on vertical to slightly sloping rock surfaces. The lichen thallus forms as a pale bluish-grey crust-like growth on rocks and mosses. The lichen begins as small, rounded patches a few millimetres wide, which may eventually coalesce into larger areas exceeding 1 centimetre in diameter. The thallus has a powdery texture, consisting of minute granules known as soredia and consoredia, which facilitate the lichen's asexual reproduction. The chemical composition of Lepraria bergensis is distinguished by the presence of several secondary metabolites: atranorin, rangiformic acid or jackinic acid, trace amounts of their respective derivatives, and a variety of anthraquinones. These chemical components cause the lichen to fluoresce a dull yellow under long-wave ultraviolet light.
Lepraria aurescens is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in Thailand.
Lepraria atlantica is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. Described as a new species in 2001, the lichen occurs in Australia, Europe, and Greenland, where it typically grows over rocks and associated mosses.
Lepraria caesioalba is a widely distributed species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae.
Lepraria achariana is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs at high elevations in Bolivia.
Lepraria alpina is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It is found in Europe, North and South America, Antarctica, and Greenland, where it typically grows on rocks and rock-dwelling mosses in cool habitats.
Lepraria celata is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. The powdery greyish-green lichen, described as a new species in 2006, occurs in eastern Europe.
Leprocaulon adhaerens is a species of leprose lichen in the family Leprocaulaceae, found in North America. It was originally described in 2007 as Lepraria adhaerens and later transferred to the genus Leprocaulon in 2013 based on molecular and morphological studies. The lichen forms a granular crust that adheres tightly to both the substrate and itself, often growing over mosses and other lichens. It is chemically distinct due to its production of pannarin, zeorin, and several minor secondary metabolites. The species is known from coastal southern California, Pennsylvania, and Missouri, though its distribution may be more extensive than currently documented.
Lepraria borealis is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae, found in cool climates across Northern Europe, northwestern North America, Greenland, and Antarctica. It primarily grows on acidic rock and moss-covered surfaces, occasionally occurring on soil or other lichens. The species forms a granular crust with abundant soredia and shows considerable chemical variation, typically containing atranorin and rangiformic acid.
Lepraria caesiella is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It forms a thin, gray-blue powdery crust composed of granular aggregations and lacks a true cortex or lobes. The species is widespread throughout northeastern North America, occurring primarily on tree bark, especially hardwoods like oaks, though it can also be found on non-calcareous rocks in sheltered locations. It was formally described by Richard C. Harris in 2005 and is characterized by its production of atranorin, zeorin, and pallidic acid. phylogenetics studies have helped distinguish it from the morphologically similar L. harrisiana, which was previously considered part of the same species.
Leprocaulon coriense is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It is found in Asia and Australia where it grows on various substrates, including rock, wood, bark, mosses and soil.
Lepraria cupressicola is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in east and southeast Asia, where it grows on rocks, soil and bark in shaded, damp locations.
Lepraria diffusa is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. Originally described as Leproloma diffusum by Jack Laundon in 1989, it was reclassified into Lepraria in 2002. The lichen has a powdery thallus containing the secondary metabolite 4-oxypannaric acid 2-methylester. It grows on calcareous rocks and mosses in shaded areas across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Lepraria eburnea is a widespread species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It forms a powdery to cottony thallus that lacks clear boundaries and contains alectorialic acid as its main secondary metabolite. It grows on various substrates including rock, bark, and soil, showing a particular preference for calcareous materials in some regions. The lichen is found across Europe, North America, Australasia, and Greenland, occurring from sea level to alpine elevations, and is typically found in areas with high humidity. In North America, it is particularly abundant in the Great Lakes region and Maritime provinces of Canada, where it commonly grows as an epiphyte on tree bases in swampy areas.
Lepraria elobata is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in Europe, North America, and Greenland. The bluish- to greenish-grey, powdery lichen grows on bark and sometimes on soil, wood, siliceous rock and mosses, usually in shady and humid habitats.
Lepraria friabilis is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It has a disjunct distribution in the southeastern United States and southern California, where it grows exclusively on coniferous bark in humid environments such as swamps and stream valleys.
Lepraria gelida is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in Greenland, Svalbard and the Russian Arctic islands, where it grows on soil, mosses and sometimes lichens, and rarely on bark.
Lepraria goughensis is a little-known species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It is only known to occur on Gough Island in the south Atlantic Ocean.
Lepraria humida is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. Found in northern Europe and northeastern North America, it grows on siliceous rocks, often between mosses, typically on rain-sheltered damp surfaces.