Phlyctis argena

Phlyctis argena
	on a tree in Denmark
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Lecanoromycetes
Order:	Gyalectales
Family:	Phlyctidaceae
Genus:	Phlyctis
Species:	P. argena
Binomial name
	Phlyctis argena; (Ach.) Flot. (1850)
Synonyms
	Lichen argenus Ach. (1799);

Phlyctis argena is a species of crustose lichen.^[1]

Description

Phlyctis argena has a thin crustose thallus that is white, greyish or green-grey in colour. The identification can be confirmed with the spot test application a drop of potassium hydroxide (K-test) to the thallus, which will turn yellow and then red.

Range

Widespread, including Africa, Asia, Europa and North America.

Habitat

Phlyctis argena usually grows as a generalist epiphyte on the bark of deciduous trees, especially Salix cinerea and Fraxinus excelsior. It also occasionally grows on stone, such as gravestones.

Ecology

The lichen is a generalist epiphyte of deciduous trees and is acidophilic. Its abundance appears to have increased generally since the 1970s, possibly in responses to changes in air pollution levels^[2]

Etymology

The etymology of the genus name, Phlyctis, comes from the obsolete medical term phlyctidium, meaning a large blister. The species epithet, argena, is derived from the latin "argentum", meaning silver.

Taxonomy

The following varieties of Phlyctis argena have been described:

Phlyctis argena var. argena^[1]
Phlyctis argena var. gilvoalbicans^[1]
Phlyctis argena var. erythrosora^[1]
Phlyctis argena var. nubilosa^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Whitewash Lichen (Phlyctis argena)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
^ Liška, Jiří; Herben, Tomáš (2008). "Long-term changes of epiphytic lichen species composition over landscape gradients: an 18 year time series". The Lichenologist. 40 (5): 437-448. doi:10.1017/S0024282908006610. S2CID 85771070.

This Lecanoromycetes-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[inaturalist-Phlyctis_argena-1] "Whitewash Lichen (Phlyctis argena)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2022-10-20.

[2] Liška, Jiří; Herben, Tomáš (2008). "Long-term changes of epiphytic lichen species composition over landscape gradients: an 18 year time series". The Lichenologist. 40 (5): 437-448. doi:10.1017/S0024282908006610. S2CID 85771070.

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