Renamed As Sphaerophorus Tuckermanii

Day 62: The snowy forests of the Pacific Northwest are not as lifeless as they appear on first glance. In fact, the cold season is when lichens are at their prime: growing, fruiting, propagating. In the vacancy left by the showier vascular plants, lichens emerge as the "wildflowers" of winter, displaying apothecia plump with the spores of reproduction. Their colours brighten with the hues of health, the greens and blue-greens unlike anything seen during the drier summer months.

Formerly known as Sphaerophorus globosus, this graceful and common lichen was split into two species recently, S. tuckermanii (shown above) and S. venerabilis, based on research by Wedin, et al. and published in "The Lichenologist" (the quarterly journal of the American Bryological and Lichenological Society). It has several sub-species which are visually identical and can only be differentiated with chemical testing and microscopic examination. Yes, those pesky taxonomists have struck again, damn their eyes.

Sphaerophorus Taxonomy

Day 107: As if I didn't have enough on my plate already, this beautiful little lichen is a taxonomic nightmare. Formerly known as Sphaerophorus globosus and listed as such as late as two weeks ago in LIAS ("A Global Information System for Lichenized and Non-Lichenized Ascomycetes"), it was only shown in one reputable reference as Sphaerophorus venerabilis. As of this week, its new nomenclature has been updated in LIAS. You might wonder why I don't just shrug and move on. Well, I had *just* finished updating the taxonomy for lichen species catalogued in Mount Rainier National Park...roughly 500 species...and had turned the paperwork over to Plant Ecologist Arnie Peterson about ten days ago.

The first hitch in the works was that within two days of being given the updated list, he sent me a note of correction on a different species (one of my favourites). "'Pilophoron' is the accepted genus," he wrote. "'Pilophorus' has gone out of date. I'm going to watch when your head explodes." I replied, "Pilophoronus. There. That's settled." And then I went down the hall where I could bang my head on the wall in private.

So, between Sphaerophorus VENERABILIS and PILOPHORON, if you should hear a loud explosion from the west coast, you can bet that Arnie is sitting on the sidelines chuckling. As rapidly as science brings us new discoveries from the natural world, taxonomists gather over beers to think up new ways to plague those of us charged with disseminating the information.

Taxonomic Nomenclature

Day 44: Taxonomic nomenclature is not a static science. As research progresses (particularly in genetics), species need to be reclassified, not only within a genus, but sometimes into a different genus entirely. Sphaerophorus venerabilis got off easy. It was formerly known as Sphaerophorus globosus, which in fact is more descriptive of its knobby apothecia than its present name. It is a beautiful and graceful thing, and invariably when I find it, I think, "Wow! What's that?" only to discover upon arriving home that I've bookmarked the page in Brodo and left a note to myself regarding the change in its taxonomy. Today, it surprised me once again. I literally stumbled across a downed branch heavily populated with Lettuce Lung (Lobaria oregana), and while I was admiring it, I noticed the Sphaerophorus. "Wow! What's that?" I said to myself, not realizing I was revisiting the phrase, and then took a dozen or so photos from different angles. I also noted at least two species of Liverwort on the same branch. Don't get your hopes up. There is no comprehensive field guide to the liverworts of the Pacific Northwest.