| Ochrolechia upsaliensis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Pertusariales |
| Family: | Ochrolechiaceae |
| Genus: | Ochrolechia |
| Species: | O. upsaliensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ochrolechia upsaliensis (L.) A.Massal. (1852) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
List
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Ochrolechia upsaliensis is a species of crustose lichen in the family Ochrolechiaceae. Found in the Northern Hemisphere, it is commonly known as the tundra saucer lichen. [2]
The lichen was formally described as a new species by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum . He placed it in the eponymous genus Lichen, as he did with all of the 80-odd lichens he described in this work. [3] Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo transferred the taxon to the genus Ochrolechia in 1852. [4]
The thallus of Ochrolechia upsaliensis is white to grayish-white, and crustose; the thallus thickens with age. The texture of the thallus surface ranges from smooth to granular. The lichen produces abundant apothecia; these reproductive structures are shallowly saucer-shaped, measuring 0.5–3 mm in diameter, with a pale-buff disc. The ascospores typically number 8 per ascus; they are ellipsoid with dimensions of 31–69 by 23–37 μm. [5]
Ochrolechia upsaliensis reacts negatively to all standard lichen spot tests. [5]
Ochrolechia upsaliensis has a Northern Hemisphere distribution, having been reported from Europe, arctic areas of Alaska and Canada, Greenland, and mountainous areas of the United States. It also occurs in mountainous areas of Europe. [5] There, it prefers habitats with calciferous soil and plant debris, and grows optimally above the treeline. In the Alps, where it is widespread, Ochrolechia upsaliensis reaches the Nival zone. [6] It typically overgrows mosses, sedges, grasses, or grows on the ground; less frequently, it has been recorded growing on rock. [5] In Greenland, it is a component of the lichen-rich biological soil crust. [7]