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.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Parmelia Sulcata
Day 33: Collectively known as "wax-paper lichens," the Parmelias are characterized by a surface which resembles that of crinkled wax paper. To differentiate certain of them in the field (some require chemical testing), it may be necessary to observe the rhizines (root-like structures) on the backs of the lobes, and one should observe the ridges and cracks closely (preferably with a hand lens) for the development of soredia (asexual reproductive structures). Although I was fairly certain that both of the specimens I was examining were Parmelia sulcata despite the fact that one was distinctly long in the soredia department, I took a small sample of each one (of a size smaller than the pink of my little fingernail), dropped them in one of the test tubes I always carry in my bag, and checked them under the microscope when I got home. Yup, both sulcata. And for those of you who might be interested, the term "sulcata" means "furrowed." Knowing that will make remembering the characteristics of this lichen a bit easier.
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