Bottlebrush Frost Lichen

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Bottlebrush Frost Lichen is a common, widespread, medium-sized lichen. It occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere including Europe, Asia, Greenland, and North America. It occurs throughout the United States except in the deep south. It is very common in Minnesota.

The vegetative body (thallus) is leaf-like (foliose), divided into radiating lobes (a rosette), and usually up to 2¾″ (7 cm) in diameter, rarely up to 3½″ (9 cm) in diameter. It is held to the substrate by black, branched, root-like structures (rhizines). The lobes are long with straight sides (linear), usually rounded at the tip, sometimes irregular. can be 1 ⁄32″ to ⅛″ (1 to 3 mm) wide, but are usually no more than 1 ⁄16″ wide. The upper surface is shiny and gray to brownish-gray when dry, greenish brown when moist. Part or occasionally almost all of the lobe ends have a white, flour-like or frost-like covering (pruinose). This is the feature that gives the genus its common name “frost lichens.” The surface is also covered with reproductive granules (soredia). The underside is dark brown to black near the center, dark tannish-brown toward the lobe ends, almost never white.

Bottlebrush Frost Lichen rarely produces disk-like spore producing structures (apothecia). When present, they are 1 ⁄32″ to ⅛″ (1 to 3 mm) in diameter.

Trees

Foliose

Bark, rock, and cemetery headstones

Sources

4, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77, 81.

Widespread and very common

Until recently all Physconia species were included in the genus Physcia.

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Location: Cass County

Location: Cass County