Illustrated Glossary

Apothecia are disc-shaped fruiting bodies where the lichen fungus produces spores.

Apothecia are disc-shaped fruiting bodies where the lichen fungus produces spores.

Apothecia are disc-shaped fruiting bodies where the lichen fungus produces spores.

Lobes are flattened, leaf-like divisions of a foliose lichen thallus.

Lobes are flattened, leaf-like divisions of a foliose lichen thallus.

Lobes are flattened, leaf-like divisions of a foliose lichen thallus.

Soredia are powdery clusters of fungal hyphae and algal cells that disperse to form new lichens.

Soredia are powdery clusters of fungal hyphae and algal cells that disperse to form new lichens.

Soredia are powdery clusters of fungal hyphae and algal cells that disperse to form new lichens.

Isidia are tiny, corticated outgrowths containing fungal and photobiont cells; they help lichens reproduce vegetatively.

Isidia are tiny, corticated outgrowths containing fungal and photobiont cells; they help lichens reproduce vegetatively.

Isidia are tiny, corticated outgrowths containing fungal and photobiont cells; they help lichens reproduce vegetatively.

a pale, polygonal patch of the crustose thallus, separated from its neighbours by dark cracks.

pale blue-grey patches divided by a fine network of dark fissures.

separate pale patches with black disc-like structures among them.

A discrete, areolate patch of a crustose lichen thallus, often separated from neighbouring patches by narrow cracks.

The sexual reproductive structure of an ascomycete fungus; in lichens, common ascomata include apothecia and perithecia.

A microscopic sac in which ascospores develop, usually after sexual reproduction by the lichen-forming fungus.

A sexual spore produced inside an ascus by the lichen-forming fungus.

A microscopic spore-bearing structure in basidiolichens where basidiospores are formed.

A sexual spore produced on a basidium in a basidiolichen.

A small structure in some lichens that houses cyanobacteria separately from the main photobiont.

A chemically distinct form within a lichen species, defined by its secondary metabolites.

A fine, hair-like projection along the margin or surface of some lichen thalli.

An asexual fungal spore produced by a lichen-forming fungus, often inside a pycnidium.

Growing on the bark of trees or shrubs.

The protective outer layer of a lichen thallus, usually formed from tightly packed fungal cells.

A crust-like lichen growth form that is tightly attached to its substrate and cannot be removed intact.

A small pore-like opening in the lower cortex of certain lichens, especially Sticta.

A lichen in which a cyanobacterium serves as the main or an additional photosynthetic partner.

Growing within rock, often just beneath its surface.

Growing on the exposed surface of rock.

An organism that grows on a plant surface without taking nutrients from the plant itself.

Fungal tissue that supports and surrounds the hymenium of an apothecium.

A leaf-like growth form with flattened lobes and usually distinct upper and lower surfaces.

A leaf-like growth form with flattened lobes and usually distinct upper and lower surfaces.

A shrubby or hair-like growth form with a three-dimensional, branched thallus, often attached at one point.

A shrubby or hair-like growth form with a three-dimensional, branched thallus, often attached at one point.

A shrubby or hair-like growth form with a three-dimensional, branched thallus, often attached at one point.

A lichen whose thallus becomes jelly-like when wet, commonly because its photobiont is a cyanobacterium.

The spore-producing layer in an apothecium, containing asci and sterile fungal filaments.

The fungal tissue layer immediately beneath the hymenium in an apothecium.

A fungus that lives on or within a lichen; it may be parasitic, commensal, or saprotrophic.

Growing on dead or living wood.

The inner, usually loosely arranged layer of fungal hyphae in a lichen thallus.

The fungal partner in a lichen symbiosis.

A sterile fungal filament among the spore-producing asci in an apothecial hymenium.

A flask-shaped fungal fruiting body with a small opening through which spores are released.

The photosynthetic partner of a lichen, usually a green alga or cyanobacterium.

A small leaf-like propagule that can detach from a lichen thallus and help it reproduce vegetatively.

An upright secondary structure in Cladonia lichens that may bear apothecia or other propagules.

The prothallus (hypothallus) is a fungal hyphal layer, often visible as a dark margin between lichen patches.

A small break in the cortex of some lichens that exposes the inner tissue and permits gas exchange.

A small asexual fruiting body in which a lichen-forming fungus produces conidia.

A root-like bundle of fungal hyphae that helps attach some lichens to their substrate; it is not a true root.

Growing on rock.

Specialised areas on a lichen thallus where powdery soredia are produced and released.

A small, scale-like lichen segment that may be loosely attached to the substrate.

A growth form made of small scale-like squamules, often partly raised from the substrate.

Growing on soil or soil-rich surfaces.

The body of a lichen, formed by the close association of its fungal partner and photosynthetic partner.

A yellow secondary metabolite produced by the fungal partner in some lichens.

A yellow secondary metabolite produced by the fungal partner in some lichens.

Prothallus: dark fungal hyphae form a conspicuous band between pale areoles.

Prothallus: a branching dark margin separates neighboring lichen patches.

 dark lines trace margins between pale areoles.

The prothallus (hypothallus) is a fungal hyphal layer, often visible as a dark margin between lichen patches.

Pruina is a powdery or crystalline coating on a lichen surface, often appearing pale blue-grey or white.

A pale or whitish band along the edge of a lichen patch; its appearance alone does not identify the structure.

A piece or structure containing lichen partners that can disperse and grow into a new thallus.