BC, Wells Gray, 20080306
WGWI east, crust lichens. 

Curtis brought these back from the Dismal Swamp.

Asci, end-on, at 1000x, stained in IKI.  Clearly shows axial tube in the middle one! Gnarled paraphyses, at 1000x, stained in IKI. Ascus tip, at 1000x, stained in IKI.  Clearly shows dark-lined axial tube. Branched paraphyses, at 1000x, stained in IKI. Asci squashed, at 100x, stained in IKI.  You can see how it turns from clear (bottom right) to a beautiful bright blue first (center) then later turns dingy brownish-blue later (top left). Spores, at 1000x, in K. Apo section, at 1000x, in K.  Note that epihymenial pigment and crystals are gone. Spores, at 1000x, in water. Apo section, at 100x, in polarized light. Spores, at 1000x, in water. Apo section, at 1000x, in water.  Shows color and texture of granules in epihynenium well. Apo section, at 400x, in water. Thallus, at 30x.  Note the Melanelia initials, esp. the ones that the Lecanora symmicta apothecia are apparently growing on top of!  The true L. symmicta crust is the grayish sorediate thing. 

Lecanora symmicta [] [voucher] 

 GEN squamulose/crustose lichen, on rain-sheltered Abies twig
 THAL tiny discrete swuamules, deep olive green, shiny, smooth, ~1mm or so
 ALG green, trebouxioid
 APO lemon yellow irreg convex blobs, not shiny, epi orange w thin covering of fine POL+ white crystals disappearing immediately in K, hymen clear, hypo clear and plunging deep, no rim discernable, alg thick around base of hypo but not in apo proper, para with tiny swollen colored caps becoming clear in K, para tangled and branched but can be teased apart in K, para golden in I, ascus clavate with thick I+ blue tip with obvious thick even tube through entire width and dark lining
 SPORE 8 per ascus, 1 cell, oily stuff inside, smooth, ~10x4um, oblong to ovoid to ellip, a few bent, golden in I
I was convinced this was a Micarea, but it seems I confused a bunch of Melanelia initials with the true lt bluish gray sorediate crust of this thing.  Seems it is actually a Lecanora.  Who knew?  Verifies admirably with description (and key) in Nash et al.

Spore, at 1000x, stained in IKI. Spores in ascus, at 1000x, stained in IKI. Asci and paraphyses, at 1000x, stained in IKI. Apo section, at 400x, stained in IKI. Apo section, at 400x, in K. Apo section, at 100x, in polarized light.  Can barely make out a few tiny POL+ white granules (pruina) in epihymenium. Apo section, at 400x, in water. Thallus, at 30x. 

Bacidia pallens [] [voucher] 

Same twig. 
 GEN crustose lichen, on rain-sheltered Abies twig
 THAL mound of roough med-gray-green stuff
 APO tiny white disks, 0.1-0.2mm, thin white dusty pruina, v convex, prom rim esp when young, epi brownish with pruina of minute POL+ white crystals, hymen clear, hypo clear, alg thick bel apo, epi clear in K, hymen I+b, ascus tip I+b with v fine thin lighter axial mass perhaps flaring abruptly at outside, para I+gold and expanding to rather thick tips (2-2.5um), para unbr
 SPORE 8 per ascus, 1- to mostly 3-septate, long ellip, 10.6+/-0.8x2.6+/-0.3um ratio=4.1+/-0.6 (n=7), I+gold, septae v weak and lost in inner texture, outside smooth
Used Curtis's keys and American Arctic Lichens, Vol.  2, Thomson, 1997.  They bring me to Biatora pallens and Bacidia pallens respectively.  Curtis tells me it's actually Cliostomum pallens(!!).

Spores, at 1000x, in water. Stalk, at 400x, in water. Stalk, at 30x. 

Calicium salicinum [] [voucher] 

Rotting conifer log, Picea?. 
 GEN calicioid lichen, on conifer log
 THAL immersed
 ALG ? 
 APO stalked mazaedia, stalk dk brown shiny wiry even translucent under LM, cup broad semi-globose lt brown with bright coppery pruina, mazaedia black heaps up to as tall again as cup
 SPORE cells 2 globose barely attached, texture strongly warted to v faintly spirally cracked, septum v constricted to nearly separating two cells, brown, 9.6+/-1.0x5.2+/-0.5um (n=11)
Differences with resp. to C. viride: thallus always immersed, C. viride rarely completely immersed; cup expanding v abruptly, C. viride more trumpet-shaped; pruina distinctive light color, C. viride has only subtle pruina at best.  Spore texture seems to be a poor character to distinguish the two.

Paraphyses, at 1000x, in water.  Black caps clearly visible in lower right. Spores in ascus, at 1000x, in water.  Also shows hypothecium, hymenium and epihymenium nicely. Exciple, at 1000x, in water. Apo section, at 400x, in water. Thallus, at 30x. 

Amandinea punctata [] [voucher] 

Same piece of log as . 
 GEN crust lichen, on conifer log
 THAL corticate, continuous, lumpy, dull med green, spotty color, K-
 MED white, K-
 ALG green, looks trebouxioid
 APO disk, adnate to v sl constricted, flat to convex, rim black even shiny smooth prom, disk black textured-shiny, 0.2-0.5mm wide, epi dk gray bleeding into upper hymen, hymen clear no oil, hypo med brown, exciple w v prom black cortex, para greatly expanded at rounded tips to 5um unbr, POL-
 SPORE 8 per ascus, ellip, smooth, 2 cell, brown, wall evenly thickened, sl constricted, 11.2+/-0.6x5.6+/-0.2um (n=6)
Nice lichen to study.  Clearly <Buellia s.l.>, and not overly-tricky to key out within that.  The difference between it and B. turgidopunctata (also sometimes mistakenly called B. turgescens) is primarily thallus: first is smooth to warty, second is scurfy (think dandruffy).  (According to Curtis.) Separating Amandinea from Buellia (not worth doing anyway, as it's not a well-supported split), is trickier.  Either <Buellia s.str.> is K+ or it is much thicker (think chunky).

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