This lichen grows on the ground in full sun in fields and sandy areas. A lichen is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an algae. They take their name from the fungus part of the relationship (micobiont), in this case Peltigera rufescens. The photosynthetic partner (photobiont) is Nostoc, a blue-green algae (cyanobacteria).
The vegetative bodies (thallus) are leaf-like (foliose) with broad, upturned lobes. They look like dog’s ears, giving the lichen its common name. They are attached to the soil at occasional points by tufted or fibrous, anchoring structures (rhizines). The upper surface is dark brownish-gray at the base, fading to bluish-gray then ash-gray at the margins, and densely covered with minute, felty hairs. The undersurface is brownish and densely covered with white hairs. The margins are wavy or crinkled.
The rhizines are white near the margins of the lobes and dark brown away from the margins. |
