A Fungus With Eyelashes

Day 252: When I find a species which baffles me, I will refer it out to an expert for help, but my personal quest for its identity doesn't stop there. I continue searching, and in this case, I was able to identify Scutellinia scutellata before Katherine Glew could write back to me to say that it wasn't a lichen. You could have fooled me. In fact, it did fool me, and that's why I sent the photos off to her. She's a lichenologist. The problem is, Scutellinia scutellata isn't a lichen at all. It's a fungus...a fungus with eyelashes.

According to several references, it's not uncommon in the Pacific Northwest. It is a subalpine species, and erupts in the spring. It first appears as tiny round "buttons" which, as they mature, open out into flattish orange disks with golden-brown "eyelashes" around their rims. The backs of the disks show a sparse population of short, stiff hairs. Various field markers allow it to be distinguished from other members of the genus: eyelash length, substrate and when viewed under the microscope, spore characteristics. The largest specimen shown in this grouping had a diameter of 6 mm., but they can be as large as 10 mm. Commonly referred to under the uninspired designation "Eyelash Cup," it is also known by the charming name of "Molly Eye-Winker."