Lichen

[flaxton]

Hi
Can someone tell me if this is a lichen growing in our neighbours lawn.


Thanks
Mal

[goosey]

Hi Mal, it could be Peltigera horizontalis .
I hope it is so I can help you for a change!

[flaxton]

Thanks for that Shirley.
Google shows some photos of Peltigera horizontalis looking very similar so I can tell my neighbours now.
Mal

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by flaxton

Thanks for that Shirley.
Google shows some photos of Peltigera horizontalis looking very similar so I can tell my neighbours now.
Mal

Hi Mal

Not sure if you have seen this useful Lichen link

http://www.britishlichens.co.uk/pictureindex.html

John

[AlanS]

Hi,

Yes, it is a lichen and certainly a Peltigera, but not P. horizontalis I feel.

P. horizontalis gets its name from the apothecia (the brown thingies at the tips of the lobes) being held horizontally. In your photograph the apothecia are held vertically. P. horizontalis is a species mainly of old, damp woodland, not generally a lawn species.

It is either Peltigera hymenina or P. polydactylon.
P. hymenina is much the more common and many reports of P. polydactylon in Britain are errors for P. hymenina, but your photograph does look rather like true P. polydactylon ("many fingers").

Take a look at the underside of the lobes (but not too near the margins). Both species have veins on the undersides, in P. hymenina the veins can be rather indistinct or pale or deep yellowish brown. In well grown P. polydactylon the veins are very distinct and dark brown.

Without information from the undersides of the lobes, Peltigera identifications are usually very risky!

Alan