I visited Stanmer Park (Home Farm Orchard, the churchyard of Stanmer Church and Stanmer Village) with a local expert lichenologist (and member of the British Lichen Society) who is helping me to extend my lichen knowledge and identification skills.
The lichens here are presented in alphabetically order
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Identification:
Thallus greenish yellow to lemon yellow forming small, discrete, roughly circular
cushions less than 1 cm across. These may coalesce or appear as scattered fragments. Minute lobes are up to 1 mm long, thin and with toothed margins. The edges and occasionally the whole thallus may be coarsely granular. Apothecia are
rare, up to 1 mm wide, dirty yellow with a roughened margin.
Chemistry:
K --(sometimes dirty
Similar species:
Xanthoria ulophyllodes and
X. candelaria are similar but are K + purple. Candelaria pacifica has a cobweb like lower surface and few, if any, rhizines
Identification:
The primary thallus at the base is grey green when dry with a large number of small, rough scales ( squamules ). Podetia (green when wet) rise from this and are up to 3cm tall and slightly curved. The tips may be pointed or have a very narrow cup.
Chemistry:
K --, P+ red
Similar species:
Cladonia coniocraea often grows with C. macilenta which is similar when not fertile
but remains grey when wet and is K+ yellow.
Diploicia canescens Stanmer Churchyard
Flavoparmelia caperata Home Farm Orchard
Flavoparmelia soredians Home Farm Orchard
Hypogymnia physodes Home Farm Orchard
Hypotrachyna revoluta-or-afrorevoluta Home Farm Orchard
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Large apothecium is anomolous
Identification:
Thallus, light grey and circular up to 5 cm diameter. The lobes are short, incised and slightly rolled down at the margin with a light yellow brown edge giving a burnt appearance. The inner lobes can be erect and have soralia at the tips covered with fine powdered soredia. The rhizines are slender and sinuous.
Chemistry:
Medulla C+ red and UV or dull orange.
Similar species:
H. afrorevoluta tends to have more robust outer lobes which are more uniformly
turned down, it lacks the distinctly erect inner lobes. The soredia arise in wrinkled pustules and tend to clump together. The rhizines are stiff and bristle like
Lecanora antiqua Stanmer Churchyard
Lecanora hybocarpa Home Farm Orchard
Identification:
The thallus is yellow grey to bright yellow green, thick, cracked, smooth or
roughened. There is often a greenish black prothallus which is also visible in the cracks. Apothecia are usually present, up to 1.5 mm in diameter, set in, or just above, the thallus. When young, they are pale yellow but become the same
colour as the thallus and then black. They have an irregular shape, are convex and are covered with a pale grey powder.
Chemistry:
KC+ yellow, UV+ dull orange.
Similar species:
Lecanora orosthea and Pertusaria flavicans are sorediate but similar in the
field. P. flavicans is C+ orange, UV+ bright orange.
Lecidella elaeochroma Home Farm Orchard
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Identification:
Thallus is yellow grey to green grey, smooth to slightly granular often limited by a black line when it meets other lichens. Frequently found in mosaics, especially with Lecanora species.
Usually fertile with black apothecia about 1 mm in diameter which become convex with excluded margins.
Chemistry:
Thallus: C+ orange (sometimes a weak reaction, especially in the shade, K+ yellow, KC+ yellow, Pd --, UV+
Similar species:
Fuscidea lightfootii has a much rougher, warted surface and is C
Identification:
The green to green brown thalluslies flat on the substrate and has short lobes up to
4 mm across. These are often matt with notched ends. Small, pin like projections (isidia) form in groups on roughened spots and may cover the surface. These can be rubbed away to leave a pale yellowish patch. Apothecia are rare
Chemistry:
Medulla: C+ red, K --, KC+ red.
Similar species:
Melanelixia glabrulata forms its dark, pin like isidia singly, although they are
numerous enough to cover the older parts of the thallus. Melanelixia fuliginosa is darker and rarely occurs on trees.
Opegrapha rupestris paratising verrucaria sp Stanmer Churchyard
Parmotrema perlatum Home Farm Orchard
Identification:
Thallus light pearl grey, orbicular, up to 15cm diameter. Lobes smooth, to 8mm wide, with ascending, incised and undulating margins which have soralia along the margins. Black cilia, up to 2mm long are often found along the margin.
Lower surface black with simple rhizines, tan towards the margins which are often devoid of rhizines. Rarely fertile; apothecia with partially sorediate margins.
Chemistry:
Medulla and soralia : K+ yellow, P+
orange, KC+ yellow orange, UV
Similar species:
P. crinitum is isidiate with cilia on the surface rather than along the margins.
P. reticulatum has soredia on the tips of narrow
Phlyctis argena Stanmer Wood
Identification:
thallus thin, smooth and only slightly cracked, white to creamy grey or greenish
grey, often covering extensive areas, with a white prothallus. Irregularly shaped soralia with granular soredia are scattered over the surface sometimes
coalescing. Apothecia extremely rare.
Chemistry:
thallus and soralia K+ yellow turning
blood red, P+ orange, UV
Similar species:
Pertusaria albescens and Pertusaria amara are similar but these are K
Identification
Thallus grey, with spreading lobes up to 7 cm in diameter. The lobes are smooth, rounded and up to 1 cm wide. The surface is has small white spots where the upper surface is broken. Soredia form a coarse powdery covering over these spots. The lower surface is light brown to white. Very rarely fertile.
Chemistry:
Medulla and soredia: C+ carmine-red, KC+ red, UV-
Similar species: P. borreri and P. reddenda are similar but have a black lower surface. P. jeckeri has the powdery soredia mainly on the margins of the lobes and white crystals at the lobe tips.
General Description
A very common lichen with a pendent, tufted thallus having numerous flattened branches up to 3mm wide and 7cm long. The branches, arising from a single point of attachment, are pale grey-green on both upper and lower surfaces. Fine soredia are found along the margins of the branches in oval soralia. Apothecia are rare.
Identification
Chemistry: Medulla and soralia usually K- or dirty orange, P+ orange red, UV- but other chemotypes exist.
Similar species:
vernia prunastri has a paler underside. Ramalina subfarinacea is mainly found on coastal rocks. It has granular soredia and many points of attachment. Medulla and soralia are K+ red.
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Identification:
Thallus light to medium grey, smooth or warted, often with a thin dark prothallus. Usually fertile, with the apothecia mainly in the more central part of the thallus. The
apothecia are large, up to 3mm diameter. The black disc has a thick, notched grey margin. Cutting through an apothecium shows the dark purple interior.
Chemistry:
Cortex K+ yellow, medulla UV+ ice blue.
Similar species:
Easily confused with
Lecanora gangaleoides but cutting through an apothecium of L. gangaleoides shows a pale green interior.
Xanthoria ucrainica Stanmer Wood
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