365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Peltigera Membranacea, Membranous Dog-Lichen
Day 60: In yesterday's post, I mentioned the rhizines which appear on the underside of Peltigera membranacea's "leaves" (the thallus). These brown structures are its apothecia, the fruiting bodies which produce the lichen's spores. Their resemblance to badly ingrown toenails is one of the defining characteristics of the species. Other Peltigeras produce similar apothecia at the tips of their lobes, but none is so markedly curled as that of Membranous Dog-Lichen. Why "dog?" I honestly don't know, unless it is because they are lightly furry. The Peltigeras are divided into two groups. "Dog-lichens" exhibit a tomentum (fuzziness) on the upper surface (refer to yesterday's glossary) and "Pelt lichens" which are either shiny or rough (scabrose). To further confuse matters, the Peltigeras are often referred to generically as "the Pelts."
Labels:
apothecia,
glossary,
Longmire,
Membranous Dog-Lichen,
MORA,
Peltigera membranacea
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment