Grateful for any suggestions.
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November 13, 2024 at 1:53 pm #32931
While looking at the side of an old very shaded Yew tree branch I spotted this very tiny foliose lichen. I do mean tiny as it only measure 7mm at maximum. I have tried Physconia grisea but the lobs are to small and also seem pressed to the bark, then Hypotrachyna’s but again lobs look wrong. As it so tiny I am reluctant to test with chemicals or even to look on the underside of a lob at present in fear I lose the whole sample in the process. There does seem to a few white cilla and lots of peg like insidia. A proper microscope would be needed to see such tiny detail clearly (which I don’t have as yet).
For now just looking for any guidance if possible.
November 13, 2024 at 2:10 pm #46349Have you considered Hyperphyscia adglutinata? I find it a lot here (also Warwickshire) on trees, but it’s very easy to overlook as it’s so tiny. Di
November 13, 2024 at 3:55 pm #46350This looks very like Hyperphyscia adglutinata as Di suggests. It should have soralia as opposed to isidia and very short rhizines but you have a tiny specimen so difficult to tell. In nutrient-rich sites it often covers the bark extending to many square metres of closely adpressed thalli. It now has a companion, new to Britain, which is identical at first glance. This is H. lucida and you will find an account of it in the Winter Bulletin which should be arriving in a couple of weeks’ time. November 13, 2024 at 8:06 pm #46351Many thanks to you both. I had discounted that wrongly as I had thought it had peg like insidia but having managed to zoom (bit out of focus though) in a bit further it does look like its soralia instead. Everything else seems to fit now that has been cleared up. November 14, 2024 at 12:22 pm #46352The marginal lobes are rather to well developed for Hyperphyscia adglutinatabut might match Hyperphyscia lucida, but the thallus appears slug damaged or rubbed or somethging, so not sure. Neil
November 14, 2024 at 3:34 pm #46353Neil thanks for your post. I had a few niggles particularly after reading John Skinners post of early this year on the same subject and the replies and links to paper therein. I will read the Winter Bulletin paper when it arrives before doing much further research. What I found was the lobes do appear broad and some upturned edges are visible. Funny enough I could not take any clear close ups with my Phone digital microscope even using the lowest back light setting as there was too much reflected light leading me to conclude the lobes were very shiny and not something I have found before.
If anyone would like my specimen sent to them then please let me know as more than happy to have a more expert opinion.
In the meantime I will leave as possibly H.adglutinata or H.lucida and have a review in a few months.
November 17, 2024 at 12:02 pm #46354Had another go at trying to do closer views of some of the Lobes and after disabling the backlight on my Mobile phone microscope attachment and using a small hand torch some distance away I manged these three close up along with a scale bar in mm’s. All taken at the same locked in focus distance. That’s me for now and while await the arrival of the Winter Bulleting article. -
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