Sphaerophorus

Day 88: Bugger. And forgive me for that. Just when it looks like the taxonomy of a species is finally going to settle down, some sadist has to come along and propose a new classification. This particular Sphaerophorus has flip-flopped between "globosus" and "venerabilis" multiple times in the last decade and, if you'll look back through my posts, I've identified it as both with footnotes and foul language. Well, here we go again. Apparently it is sufficiently dissimilar to merit its own name: Sphaerophorus tuckermanii. I quote: "The perplexing morphological variation in form of the S. globosus complex, to which this species belongs, has created much confusion, including misapplication of S. tuckermanii to what is now S. venerabilis. Hognabba and Wedine (2003) demonstrated three distinct evoluntionary lines: S. globosus growing on the ground in arctic-alpine habitats and as an epiphyte in Europe; S. tuckermanii, a Pacific Northwest epiphyte with many coralloid branches; and S. venerabilis, a Pacific Northwest epiphyte with few coralloid branches." Now I might be wrong about this particular specimen, but I don't think so. Walking through trailless forest, I was drawn to it as if it was a Crow-magnet and remarked from ten feet away, "Venerabilis? Um...something is wrong here. I'm going to have to double-check that." Really, people, can't we at least have one point in the universe remain stable for a week or two? Life is chaotic enough without lichens switching identities every few months.

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.