Biology:Phlyctis argena
| Phlyctis argena | |
|---|---|
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| on a tree in Denmark | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Gyalectales |
| Family: | Phlyctidaceae |
| Genus: | Phlyctis |
| Species: | P. argena
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| Binomial name | |
| Phlyctis argena (Ach.) Flot. (1850)
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| Synonyms | |
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Phlyctis argena is a species of crustose lichen.[1]
Description
Phlyctis argena has a thin crustose thallus that is white, greyish or green-grey in colour. The identification can be confirmed with the spot test application a drop of potassium hydroxide (K-test) to the thallus, which will turn yellow and then red.
Range
Widespread, including Africa, Asia, Europa and North America.
Habitat
Phlyctis argena usually grows as a generalist epiphyte on the bark of deciduous trees, especially Salix cinerea and Fraxinus excelsior. It also occasionally grows on stone, such as gravestones.
Ecology
The lichen is a generalist epiphyte of deciduous trees and is acidophilic. Its abundance appears to have increased generally since the 1970s, possibly in responses to changes in pollution levels[2]
Etymology
The etymology of the genus name, Phlyctis, comes from the obsolete medical term phlyctidium, meaning a large blister. The species epithet, argena, is derived from the latin "argentum", meaning silver.
Taxonomy
The following varieties of Phlyctis argena have been described:
- Phlyctis argena var. argena[1]
- Phlyctis argena var. gilvoalbicans[1]
- Phlyctis argena var. erythrosora[1]
- Phlyctis argena var. nubilosa[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Whitewash Lichen (Phlyctis argena)" (in en). https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/182631-Phlyctis-argena.
- ↑ Liška, Jiří; Herben, Tomáš (2008). "Long-term changes of epiphytic lichen species composition over landscape gradients: an 18 year time series". The Lichenologist 40 (5): 437-448. doi:10.1017/S0024282908006610.
Wikidata ☰ Q1320714 entry
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