Bottlebrush Frost Lichen

(Physconia detersa)

Conservation Status
Bottlebrush Frost Lichen
Photo by Luciearl
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

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 (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 (1 to 3 mm) in diameter.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Substrate

 
 

Trees

 
     
 

Growth Form

 
 

Foliose

 
     
 

Habitat

 
 

Bark, rock, and cemetery headstones

 
     
 

Hosts

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

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

 
  5/30/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Widespread and very common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Fungi (fungi)  
  Subkingdom Dikarya  
  Phylum Ascomycota (sac fungi)  
  Subphylum Pezizomycotina  
  Class Lecanoromycetes (common lichens)  
  Subclass Lecanoromycetidae (shield lichens, sunburst lichens, rosette lichens, and allies)  
 

Order

Caliciales  
 

Family

Physciaceae  
 

Genus

Physconia (frosted lichens)  
  Mycobiont Physconia detersa  
  Photobiont    
       
 

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

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Physcia detersa

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Bottlebrush Frost Lichen

Frosted Lichen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Foliose

Adjective: Leaf-like growth form; referring to lichens with leaf-like growths divided into lobes.
Noun: The leaf-like, vegetative body of a lichen (thallus) that has thin, flat lobes which are free from the substrate.

 

Linear

Long, straight, and narrow, with more or less parallel sides, like a blade of grass.

 

Rhizine

A root-like structure of a lichen that attaches the lower layer to the substrate.

 

Rosette

A radiating group or cluster of leaves usually on or close to the ground.

 

Soredium

An asexual reproductive structure of a lichen in the form of a tiny dull granule on the thallus surface that can be easily brushed off. It consists of a cluster of algal cells (the photobiont) wrapped in fungal filaments (the mycobiont), but without an outer layer of protective tissue (cortex). Plural: soredia.

 

Thallus

The vegetative body of a lichen composed of both the alga and the fungus. Plural: thalli.

 
 
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Luciearl

 
    Bottlebrush Frost Lichen   Bottlebrush Frost Lichen  
           
    Bottlebrush Frost Lichen   Bottlebrush Frost Lichen  
           
 
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  Luciearl
1/1/2020

Location: Cass County

Bottlebrush Frost Lichen  
  Luciearl
11/29/2019

Location: Cass County

Bottlebrush Frost Lichen  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

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Created: 12/10/2019

Last Updated:

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