Brown-eyed Rim Lichen

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Brown-eyed Rim Lichen is a common, distinctive, crust-like (crusticose) lichen. It occurs in Europe and North America. In the United States, it occurs in the east from New Hampshire to North Carolina, west to Minnesota and Illinois. There are also disjunct populations in Colorado, Washington, and California. It grows on the bark and wood of both deciduous and coniferous trees, but especially on poplar and ash.

The vegetative body (thallus) is crust-like (crusticose) and quite variable. It is composed of tiny granules, like grains of sugar. This is best seen with magnification of a 10x lens. It may be continuous or sharply divided into islands separated by cracks (areolate). The areoles may be thick or thin, and they may be flat or be covered with small, wart-like elevations (verruculose). The surface may be smooth or rough. The color may be yellowish white to yellowish gray or whitish gray to gray. As it ages, it may develop granular asexual reproductive structures (soredia), or these may be absent. When soredia are present, the areas where they are formed (soralia) may be white to whitish gray or pale yellow to yellowish gray.

Spore-bearing reproductive structures (apothecia) are common. They are disk-like and large, 1⁄32″ to ⅛″ (0.6 to 2.5 mm) in diameter. They are almost always constricted at the base causing them to appear almost stalked. The discs are distinctly reddish brown and flat. They are not covered with a whitish or grayish powdery bloom (epruinose). The disc margins are persistent, and they are the same color as the thallus. They may be thin or relatively thick. They may be smooth to slightly finely scalloped, but they are often wavy, or zigzagged.

Trees

Crusticose

Bark

Hardwood trees, especially on poplar and ash

Sources

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

This map includes only records from sources that do not accept the synonymy of Lecanora allophana and Lecanora albella.

Common

Lecanora allophana was originally described by Erik Acharius in 1809. In 1855, William Nylander published a major work on Scandinavian lichens where he treated Lecanora allophana as a synonym of Lecanora albella, which was originally described by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon in 1794. The synonymy is broadly accepted, but there is still some debate among lichenologists. Some argue that minor morphological differences might justify maintaining Lecanora allophana as a distinct species or variety. The most significant morphological feature distinguishing Lecanora albella is the dense whitish powdery (pruinose) bloom on the upper surface of the apothecia, which is absent from Lecanora allophana.

Sources that accept the synonymy of the two species include Index Fungorum, GBIF, and Catalog of Life.

Sources that do not accept the synonymy include MycoBank, MycoPortal, Consortium of Lichen Herbaria, Mushroom Observer, ITIS, NCBI, USDA PLANTS, NatureServe, and iNaturalist.

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Location: Cass County