Lepraria?

[chrisjohnson]

I fear this maybe an undoable Lepraria species. Apple-green in colour, soft granular structure, on conifer. Under the microscope there was little more than algae cells.

What do others think?

Chris

[synangium]

It looks Lepraria-ish to me. I see it regularly and try to ignore it.

Nigel

[chrisjohnson]

I thought an attractive green lichen would be a welcome rest from black dots; alas, no. Dobson sums it up well: "This is a 'dustbin' genus."

Jenny must have her head under a pillow.

Chris

[JennyS]

Jenny must have her head under a pillow.

Yup!
I'm still a relative beginner myself and black dots on rocks and Lepraria's are at the top of my scuttle-past list - Lepraria incana is the most likely but (as with many of the black rock dots) definite identification often needs thin-layer chromatography.

Don't know if you've come across it but the LichenIreland website has species descriptions which sometimes include useful ID pointers - e.g. Lepraria incana: "lacking a white, fluffy, cotton-wool-like underlayer".
(With Lepraria lobificans for instance you can clearly see the whitish strands of free hyphae in the thallus which form a +/- distinct white medulla with a lens or dissecting microscope)

Lepraria incana

After that brief emergence it could be time to go back under the pillow - most of my life at the moment seems as un-figurable as those blooming black dots!

[chrisjohnson]

Originally Posted by JennyS

After that brief emergence it could be time to go back under the pillow - most of my life at the moment seems as un-figurable as those blooming black dots!

Oh dear Jenny, that doesn't sound too good.

I thought LichenIreland was synonymous with Lichens of Ireland so welcome news.

Lepraria incana: "lacking a white, fluffy, cotton-wool-like underlayer" is a good starting point as mine has an extensive white underlayer.

Thanks, Chris

[JennyS]

Hi again Chris,

I thought LichenIreland was synonymous with Lichens of Ireland

No connection between them!

LichenIreland:
Quote: "This project is initially a four-year study to determine the status and distribution of lichen species throughout the island of Ireland. LichenIreland is supported by National Parks and Wildlife Service; National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin; Environment and Heritage Service and the Ulster Museum, National Museums Northern Ireland."

The distribution maps haven't been updated since 2009 so don't reflect the recording that's been carried out since then but the species descriptions are valid wherever you are recording.

Oh dear Jenny, that doesn't sound too good.

Its not, but at least that gives plenty of room for improvement - and makes disappearing down the microscope in search of spores seem like light relief, even if I still can't identify the beasties!