And four from trees ..

[JennyS]

This batch are all from tree trunks or branches .....

1. On shaded young Alder (though not 100% sure) - Graphina anguina?




2. On mature Oak in old woodland - Pertusaria hymenea?




3. Not a clue, and unfortunately I can't remember whether it was on Holly or Hazel




4. On rather unhealthy Ash in town car park. First thought was lumpy Lecanora chlarotera then wondered if it might possibly be Lecanora sinuosa?




5. On Willow, Lecanora Q2

[AlanS]

Hi Jenny,

My comments, inasmuch as they are of any help:

1. Graphina anguina looks to be the best hypothesis, but I don't think one can be sure without cutting a section and checking its microscopical characters. In your clean atmosphere you could have an interesting range of possibilities.

2. Yes, I agree. Nice, healthy material. Again, your clean atmosphere - whenever I see it here it always looks a bit below par.

3. Very dark disks. Looks like a Lecanora I collected in Cornwall. I wonder what it is?

Actually, all slightly offbeat bark Lecanoras I have put aside until my copy of the new flora arrives. There are conflicting statements in different research papers I have read and so I wait to see what the synthesis of all this will be. (Forgot to check when I had the chance to look through a proof copy, but I was suffering from a surfeit of Usnea at the time!) So sometime soon, new flora in hand, chemicals at the ready, I shall go through the vouchers for all my own photographs. Microscopy is essential.

4. Most likely this is lumpy L. chlarotera, but without checking the microscopic characters this is just guesswork. I have tried making similar things into L. sinuosa, but decided against. The photograph of L. sinuosa in van Herk & Aproot is much more extreme.
But again, I await the new flora to see if it brings new insights. There is certainly an uncomfortable range of variation in L. "chlarotera".

5. Looks quite a bit like L. intumescens, but same remarks as before - need for microscopy, seeing if there any surprises in the new flora account. Probably it is L. chlarotera again, but well worth checking. A chemical Pd test would do it, but I imagine you don't have any?


Alan

[JennyS]

A chemical Pd test would do it, but I imagine you don't have any?

No, I've only got K and C, though in desperation I have just forked out an absolutely scary amount of money for the Candelaris x10 lens with UV ......

[AlanS]

Originally Posted by JennyS

No, I've only got K and C, though in desperation I have just forked out an absolutely scary amount of money for the Candelaris x10 lens with UV ......

OMG, that IS scary!

Wonderful lens though.

Alan
(whose own illuminated lens, of Chinese manufacture, has only one LED, fell to pieces when opened up to check the battery and took an hour to fit back together correctly, and has the optical quality of the bottom of a milk bottle, but did only cost £10!)

(Just had a thought though. If I were to get to know my local MP, maybe she could buy me a Candelaris lens and be able to claim it back on expenses?)

(Sorry, topical political joke that may not mean much in the Irish Republic. Or even here.)

(Hmmm , suffering from an acute attack of brackets, must be bed time.)