CA, South Coast, 20070116
Torrey Pines SR and San Onofre Beach, lichens and flowers. 

 Torrey Pines Reserve 
 San Onofre Beach 

Torrey Pines Reserve 

Lichens, a fern, and (of course) a pine: (Used CLS key to CA crustose lichens, vol 5 no 1, summer 1998 on many lichens.)

Apo section, at 100x.  Marks are 10um. Ascus, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Spore, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Spore, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Spore, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Spore, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Spore, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Apo, at 30x. 

Arthonia? [] 

 GEN crust fungus or lichen, on twig
 THAL inside wood
 MED ? 
 ALG found one cell of green algae only! 
 APO black disks, epihymenium thick black hard, hypothecium dk red brown, hymenium brownish, paraphyses ?, asci pear-shaped with thick tips & large
 SPORE 8 per ascus, colorless, 2-celled, constricted at septum, 2-3 bubbles in each cell, walls v thin, 25x8um, oblong overall

Ascus, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Spore, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Spore, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Spore, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Apo section, at 100x.  Marks are 10um. Apo, at 30x. Thal and apo, at 10x. 

Arthonia radiata [] 

 GEN script lichen, on bark
 THAL v thin, white, flaking, K-, KC-, C-
 MED white
 ALG can't find any
 APO lirellae, mess short black scribbles, unbr to few-br, walls thin, hypothecium K+ red, asci thick walled balloons
 SPORE 8 per ascus, fusif, trans sept, 4 cell, cells about equal, even sl thick walls, 15x5um
Keys out clearly, but with such meager coverage of the genus, I can't be sure.

Buellia penichra [] 

 GEN crust lichen, on bark
 THAL greenish, smooth at edge to v verruculose inside, K+ yell, KC+ orange, C-
 MED white
 ALG green
 APO lecideine, black, to 0.8mm, round, convex, rim sl raised, exciple black & thick, hym and epihym clear, para unbr & sl thickened brown at v tips, asci thollus thick, hymen filled with little (1-2um) bubbles
 SPORE 8 per ascus, ellip, brown, 4 main cells each containing many small cells or lots of bubbles, 40-50x15-20um

Close-up of soredia, at 30x. 

Chrysothrix candelaris [] 

 GEN leprose lichen, on manzanita etc
 THAL thin scattering of lemon-yellow finely granular soredia, K-
 MED inconspic
 APO none

Fragment, at 10x. Close-up of soredia, at 30x. 

Chrysothrix candelaris [] 

 GEN leprose lichen, on manzanita etc
 THAL little piles of lemon-yellow powdery soredia, green under surface, K-
 MED white, conspic
 APO none

Fragment, at 10x.  (Color seems wrong  should be beige.)

Chrysothrix candelaris [] 

 GEN leprose lichen, on manzanita etc
 THAL thick layer of tan finely granular soredia, K-
 MED inconspic
 APO none

Spore, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Spore, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Asci and spores, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Nice apo section, at 100x.  Marks are 10um. Apo section, at 30x.  Wow, you can even see the spores and stuff at 30x on this one! Apo, at 30x. Apo, at 30x. Thal and apo, at 10x. 

Diploschistes diacapsis [] 

 GEN crust lichen, on sandy soil
 THAL rimose, sl yellish, dull, K+ faint yell (only visible when flooding section at 30x)
 MED white, C+ red-pink
 ALG green
 APO lecanorine, deeply sunken pits, black disks, heavily white pruinose, dk brown epihym and hypothec, hymenium colorless, paraphyses not separating
 SPORE to 8 per ascus, muriform, brown at maturity, about 6 layers of cells, to 4-6 cells per layer, ellip, sl bumpy, 30x15um
Genus clear.  Keys clearly.  Catalog also lists this as only species on soil.

Underside, at 30x.  Note faded color and much reduced rhizines near edge. Close-up of sorediate pustules, at 30x. Thallus, at 10x. 

Flavoparmelia caperata [] 

 GEN foliose lichen, on oak
 THAL appressed, lobes broad, yellish green, few v inconspic maculae, wrinkled in old parts, wrinkles breaking down into soredia, black bel to brown near marg, rhiz abundant and short all the way to edge, no cilia, K-, KC+ gold, C-
 MED white, fairly dense, K-, KC-, C-
 ALG green
 APO none
Supposed to be medulla KC+ pink, but I cannot get that reaction.

Ascus and spores, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Ascus and spores, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Apo, at 30x. 

Lecanora [] 

 GEN crust lichen, on twig bark
 THAL greenish, disintigrating, K-, KC-, C-
 MED white, K-, KC-, C-
 ALG green
 APO lecanorine, crowded, rims rough, about 0.2mm wide, disk yellish, not pruinose, flat, hym and epihym and hypothec colorless
 SPORE 8 per ascus, colorless, smooth, 1um thick walls, often bent, ellip, 11-12x4um
 PARA thickened colorless rounded tips, unbr
Fails to key.  Couldn't observe any crystals.

Spore, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Amphithecium section, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um.  Shows significant cortex on rim  the reason the rims look so shiny. Asci and spores, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Asci and spores, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Asci and spores, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Apo section, at 100x.  Marks are 10um. Apo, at 30x. Thal and apo, at 10x. 

Lecanora rugosella? [] 

 GEN crust lichen, on bark
 THAL v verruculose, lt green, thick, sharp black prothallus, K-, C-, KC-
 MED white, K-, C-, KC-
 ALG green
 APO lecanorine, v constricted, v prom thick raised smooth shiny rims, disk v heavily white pruinose, scattered, to 1mm wide, colorless epihym and hym and hypothec, no crystals visible, amphithecial cortex > 30um
 SPORE 8 per ascus, colorless, smooth, ellip, 1 cell, 12-13x5-6um
Doesn't key out convincingly because I never found any large irregular crystals in the amphithecium.  Far more likely this species is not in the key.  Furthermore, it can key out to L. caesiorubella, as well, however the chemistry is all wrong.

Ochrolechia africana [] 

 GEN crust lichen, on bark
 THAL lt grey to sl greenish to sl yellish at marg, smooth at marg to v thickly verruculose inside, K-, KC- (except where medulla shows through), C-
 MED white, K-, KC+ pink, C+ pink
 ALG green
 APO lecanorine, v thick shiny smooth rims, disk v white pruinose, epihym brown fading inward to yell, hym clear, hypothec conspic yell, all K-, epihym C+ red, amph filled w lots of small (10-12um) crystals, para narr and loosely netted
 SPORE 8 per ascus, ellip, 45x25um, 1 round cell inside rough greyish stuff, colorless

Apo, at 10x. Ascus, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Close-up of apo, at 30x. 

Opegrapha [] 

 GEN crustose lichen, on bark
 THAL white powdery, vanishing, K+ and KC+ brownish or yellish?, C-
 MED white
 ALG green
 APO lirellae, short squiggly, largely unbr, broad, thick black carbonized walls and base, v white pruinose, up to 0.3-0.4mm wide by 1-2mm long
 SPORE 8 per ascus, narr ellip to fusif, trans sept, thin even walls, 8-12 cells, some cells larger than others, 25-30x3-4um or so (very hard to measure)

Underside of margin, at 30x. Close-up of margin, at 30x.  Shows cilia and weak maculae. Close-up of faint maculae, at 30x. Close-up of soralia, at 30x.  Overexposed. Thal and soralia, at 10x. 

Parmotrema hypoleucinum [] 

 GEN foliose lichen, on oak and sumac branches
 THAL lobes broad and ruffled to almost fruticose, greenish grey, inconspic mottling of maculae, smooth locally, black unbr cilia and rhiz bel, lip shaped soralia on margins (from breakdown of surface), white bel at least all the visible parts (black in center), finely wrinkled bel, K+ yell, KC-, C-
 MED white, cottony, K+ bright yell, KC-, C-
 ALG green
 APO none
Maculae and conspic white bottom distinguish this from P. chinense.

Spore, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Apo, at 30x. Thal and apo, at 10x. 

Pertusaria [] 

 GEN crust lichen, on bark
 THAL greenish to sl tannish, sl rimose, thick, shiny, unlobed, no prothallus, K- (or v faint yell), C-, KC+ faint gold
 MED white, K-, C-, KC-
 ALG green
 APO one to sev buried in warts with smooth sloping sides
 SPORE 1 per ascus?, oblong, 85x35um or so, rough irreg inner wall, smooth outer wall, 4-5 um thick even outer wall thicker if anything at ends
Chemistry doesn't allow it to key out.  Acts like usnic acid in cortex.

Close-up of soredia with KC test, at 30x.  Supposed to be purple  is this because I used NaOH instead of KOH? Close-up of soredia, at 30x. Fragment, at 10x. 

Pertusaria amara [] 

 GEN crust lichen, on bark
 THAL 
warts most of thallus, white clusters of cottony extremely hydrphobic stuff, nasty bitter, K-, C-, KC+ orange
non-warts only a small sample present, greenish grey, rough, shiny, mottled
 MED white? 
 ALG green
 APO none

Spore, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Spore, at 1000x.  Marks are um. Spore, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Apo section, at 30x.  Showing faint K+ yellow reaction. Apo sections, at 30x.  Left one shows C+ orange epihymenium, right one untreated. Apo and 30x. Thal and apo, at 10x. 

Pertusaria xanthodes [] 

 GEN crust lichen, on bark
 THAL dull rimose yellish, not too thick, cortex not v distinct from medulla, K+ v faint yell (visible under 30x when section flooded), KC+ orange (visible under 30x when section flooded), C+ fleeting orange but remaining in crevices here and there and v strong on epihymenium
 MED can't distinguish from cortex
 ALG green
 APO disks buried in warts
 SPORE huge, 2 per ascus, ellip-oblong, 125x40um, outer wall 4um, inner wall 4mm, one end has v thin outer wall, conspic horz striate, inner wall conspic rough
Brodo has no report in CA, but the 2006 catalog of CA lichens by Tucker and Ryan include reports from coastal s CA.

Pinus torreyana [] 

 LF in 5's, greyish, long, stout
 CONE prickly, persistent, ov, fairly large

Polypodium californicum [] 

Just coming up. 
 LF pinnate to pinfid, widest near base, glab but with scattered small brownish scales under stipe and rachis, many veins joining around sori
 SOR exindusiate, round to sl oval, medial

Roccellina franciscana [] 

 GEN crust lichen, on bark
 THAL greenish grey, v thin, K+ yell, KC-, C-
 MED ? 
 ALG green
 APO round disk, beaded shiny brittle black rim w no alg, rim extends fully below disk, disk grey, epihymenium brown (turns clear in K), hym clear, para enlarged tips & tangled (branched?)
 SPORE 8 per ascus, fusif, colorless, 4 cell, trans sept, 15-17x4-5um
Used CLS key.  Weird: CLS call these apo lirellae, while Brodo calls them lecanorine disks.

Twig, at 30x. Twig, at 10x. Algae, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. 

Trebouxia? [] 

Here's what the algae in most lichens looks like when the fungal symbiont fails. 
 GEN algae, on oak twig, grey-green dust covering surface, cells round and filled with green stuff inside thick clear wall & about 10mm wide

Perithecial section, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Perithecial section, at 400x.  Marks are 2.5um. Thal and perithecial remnants, at 30x. Thal and perithecial remnants, at 10x. 

Trimmatothele umbellulariae? [] 

 GEN crustose lichen, on bark
 THAL smooth, v thin, whitish, K-, C-, KC-
 MED white, K-, KC-, C-
 ALG green
 APO partially immersed tiny black perithecia, filled with undifferentiated colorless "stuff", thin black wall without noteceable ostiole, the vast majority already "popped" leaving little fine black rings all over
I got this from a key to CA genera from the CA Lichen Society.  Beats me.  I never actually found anything resembling a spore.


San Onofre Beach 

Eriogonum wrightii membranaceum [] 

In gravel at foot of cliff. 
 GEN low-ascending peren
 LF 9x9+4mm, ov, obtuse, curled under, glab above, v d white tom bel and on petioles, petiole strongly clasping around stem
 INFL in sess head-like clusts around stem joints at last several nodes, invol ~4mm, tom, axis floccose
 TEP 3mm, color faded to brown, glab, no stipe
Doesn't match pictures on Charter's pages (leaf in particular is distinctly ovate, not linear to elliptic), but I can't figure how to key it out any differently.

Infl at 10x. Invol at 30x. Fl head at 30x.  Pistillate flowers are the tangle of yellow threads (stigmas) visible in wide band surrounding the slightly sunken center part where staminate flowers are buried. 

Gnaphalium canescens beneolens [] 

In gravel at foot of cliff. 
 GEN low subshrub, v d white tom all over
 LF narr lance, 70x10+0mm, clasp, tom
 INFL d clust of sev heads, surrounded with wool, heads 6mm round or so
 PHYL many imbr, whitish scarious w thick dk green midstripe below half, spreading a bit, glab
 RECEPT naked, flat, wide
 FL outer pistillate, inner staminate, pist fls ~3.5mm, yell
 OV dk brown, shiny, smooth, ellip, comp? 
 PAP many v thin cap bristles, whitish, ~3mm

Isocoma menziesii vernonioides [] 

In gravel at foot of cliff. 
 GEN low subshrub
 ST glab to scab, lt green toward tips
 LF oblong to obov, coarsely toothed, fairly thick almost fleshy, glab
 INFL sl d clust of heads at st ends
 PHYL 8x5mm, v sticky, glab, v imbr, sev rows, acute tips, lance to oblance, greennish in approx distal third, green midstripe
 RECEPT v low scales
 FL all bisex, strongly expanded above narr throat, yell, 26 fls
 OV puber
 PAP many ant scab whitish bristles, 6mm or so

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