NC, Smokies, 20060621
CabinCove, Asbury etc, various.

The mums brought these back from a hike in the park.

Cladonia crispata [voucher]

Growing on rock (mossy) at high elevation.
GEN fruticose, cladonia, on mossy rock, high elev
THAL primary squamules disappearing
podetia br'd a few times, rel stout, pinkish brown, axils wide open
squamules scattered all over podetia, v finely div, med green, powdery white bel
APO tiny dk brown short tips in tiny crowns at ends of brs

Rumex acetosella

Leaves aren't hastate, but 6 sepals, 3 styles, dioecious, tiny fls and frs, all point incontrovertibly to R. a..

These are from Asbury up to Chestnut Top and slightly descending knife ridge from there, then back.

Monarda clinopodia

On Asbury trail not far east of Hoglen Gap; starting to fl; shady moist ridge w tons of herbage understory.
GEN herb
ST square, glab to short strig-bristly at top, unbr
LF opp, narr lance, long acum, weakly serr, rounded base, upper ones 85x25+9mm, pin veins at 45deg and curving up, veins bluntly imp ab and r bel, sh soft cil, petiole w v narr wings in two rows on top, wings cil like leaf, petiole and base of midv purp, sp clear colorless gland-punctate bel
INFL term head
bracts lf-like, 6 in a whorl just bel head, 25x8+0mm to 40x10+0mm, long acum, entire, cil like lvs
SEP 5, join, sl bent tube, lobes acum, tube 5x1.8mm, lobes to 0.8mm, v sl bilat, few gold sess glands, v fine short clear gland-bristly esp ab, long straight fine clear bristles at top bet lobes and inside
PET 5, join, v bilat, tube 10x1mm
upper lip v min 3-toothed, 6x3mm or so, strap, reflexed back ~90deg
lower lip v min notched, 5x2mm or so, rounded acute, reflexed or not
creamy to white toward base w few rel large purp spots near sinuses, d wavy clear puber outside, glab inside
STAM 2, excl, start inside lower lip but soon curl up and out, white, glab
ANTH brown, 1mm, narr, dorsifix exactly in middle, open via long slits
OV 1, sup, min, glab brownish, 4 egg-like conspic lobes around base of style
STYLE asym 2-forked at v end, v excl, > stam, white, glab
Wofford and RA&B disagree about the range of these flowers, and neither thinks it belongs here. Although the petioles of this sample are too long (both sources use the petioles as the identifying characteristic), every other characteristic matches Blephilia ciliata not B. hirsuta.

Oops. Mis-read key. (Calyx is regular.) It's a Monarda, not a Blephilia. Keys better there. Fixed error on 20060630.

Bondarzewia berkeleyi []

Same huge terrestrial polypore from 20060610; still going strong.
CAP lost most of its yell-orange color now fully zones of tan
FLESH soft and creamy white, K-
PORE up to 1mm wide, walls v thin and irreg and angular, 1.5mm or so long (v shall), creamy off-white
SPORE round, d min warty, colorless, 1 cell, ~7-8um

Bryoria furcellata [voucher]

On dead mountain laurel on knife-ridge to left of Chestnut Top.
GEN beard lichen, on dead mtn laurel limbs, on exposed ridge top
THAL shiny dk brown, loosely v br'd, brs v fine and terete, stiff, tufts of long straight spiny isidia here and there
MED white
ALG green
APO none

Carex rosea

On Asbury trail right next to the Blephilia above.
GEN cesp
LF v narr (1.3mm wide), few low caul, glab but for weak ant scaber marg, weakly V-shaped, dk green
INFL 5 v short d spikes, all spikes pistillate w 1 stam fl at top, fls/frs spread 45-60deg, subtended by v short scale w long wavy awn, lowest spike subtended by 70mm lf-like bract that is equal to sl > top spike, 4-7 fls per spike
PERIG lentic, trans rug, 3.2x1.1mm, lance, acum, rounded base, green, glab, tip split almost 1 mm, v min cil-scab marg ab, flat belly and sl convex back
scale scar, 1.5x1mm, ov, acum, midv narr brownish-green

Cladonia uncialis [voucher]

On top of mossy rock on way up to Chestnut Top.
GEN fruticose lichen, on mossy rock
THAL v br'd, bushy, squamules scattered all along brs, axils perf, med grey-green, brs w retic maculae or sl erroded, no soredia or isidia or granules, squamules finely lobed and sl concave and white powdery bel, squamules smooth even med grey-green ab, br'ing pattern decidedly dichotomous
MED white, cartilaginous, smooth and continuous
ALG green
APO tiny red-brown thorn-like br tips

Hypotrachyna "salazinic acid" [voucher]

On dead laurel branch on knife-ridge.
GEN fruticose-foliose lichen, on dead laurel limb, on exposed ridge
THAL pale green, d retic white maculae, v few scattered black pycnidia near marg, v thin black marg, lobes often forking and ascending, lobes 3-4x0.5-1mm w U-shaped sinuses, black to rich deep golden-reddish-brown near marg, long mostly br'd once or twice black cilia and sp rhiz all over bel, fairly loosely att to substrate, v few lobules at or near a few tips, K+ pale yell, KC+ yell, C-
MED white, K+ yell turning slowly deep rust, KC+ yell turning orange, C-
ALG green
APO none
The genus is obvious, I guess it keys out no matter how I approach it but the species is definitely not covered in Brodo. The medullary K+ yell quickly turning brown-red is a classic diagnosis of salazinic acid.

Ramalina americana [voucher]

On knife-ridge. Just looked a little different, but nope.
MED K-, C-, KC-

Sticta beauvoisii [voucher]

On rocks near Umbilicaria mammulata on the way up to Chestnut Top.
GEN foliose lichen, on rock
THAL grey to brown, marg frilled up, lobes 4-7mm wide, smooth, even color (grading from grey to lt brown), dk brown lobules along margs and cracks, d lt yellish tan tom bel w conspic ellip white holes through to medulla that are sl powdery inside, brown tufted or squarrose rhiz abundant away from margs bel, loosely att to rock
MED white
ALG dk brown
APO none

Tuckermannopsis ciliaris [voucher]

On laurel limbs; on knife-ridge to left of Chestnut Top.
GEN fruticose-foliose, on laurel limb, on exposed ridge
THAL finely lobed and frilly, v loosely appress, bushy fruticose appearance, olive-grey-green w brownish tinges esp near marg, white or v pale bel, sp pale short rhiz and cilia often forked, smooth even color, marg lined w prom black lobules or tubercles, K+ weak yell?, KC-, C-
MED white, thin, K-, C+ pink, KC+ pink-red
ALG green
APO none
To key it you must call it olive!! Arg.

Umbilicaria mammulata [voucher]

On rocks on the way up to Chestnut Top.
GEN umbilicate lichen
THAL huge leathery undulating brown skin, smooth, dull, thick, softly undulating, underside pitch black and v rugose w lots of scraggly short black rhizine-like things, marg min lobed although it looks entire from a distance
MED white
ALG dk green
APO none
Clear ID.

Usnea amblyoclada [] [voucher]

On one rock on the way up to Chestnut Top.
GEN beard lichen, on exposed bare rock
THAL med grey-green, well br'd and densely bushy, many brs somewhat swollen and constricted at base, either v sp pap or the soralia don't fully form toward base, small soralia w short isidia and soredia scattered, not at all confluent, some fibrils on a few brs, base black, axis pinkish to white, cortex 14% medulla 25% axis 22%
MED white, K+ yellow turning quickly vivid deep blood red, C-
Hmmm, maybe it's just a U. cornuta that happens to be growing on rock? No, I think it is different. Chemistry doesn't distinguish the two, unfortunately. I'm bothered that they don't mention the swollen brs, but other telltale signs (lack of d papillae, thicker pinker axis, K+ red not brown-red, soralia small and not confluent at the tips, definite presence of soredia) have persuaded me at last. Now. Is it U. halei instead? Oh hell. The soralia are small, and that's the only difference they mention I'm capable of seeing, so...