Powder-Tipped Rosette
Scientific Name:
Physcia dubia
Type:
Lichen
Habitat:
Primarily found in cold temperate climates, primarily on open rock and occasionally in forested areas
Range:
Widely distributed in the Northern hemisphere
Status:
Secure (NatureServe)
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Powder-tipped rosettes are a type of common lichen. Lichens are complex organisms that arise from symbiotic relationships between fungi and a photosynthesizer, like algae. The genus name, Physcia, means “inflated” or “sausage-like,” which is used to describe the physical form the various species within the genus take. The powder-tipped rosette generally appears in shades of gray, with a whitish-gray upper and a distinctly darker gray on the ends of the lobes.
Fast Facts:
The powder-tipped rosette is commonly misidentified for a couple other lichens that all appear very similar, initially. The hooded rosette lichen, hooded tube lichen, and star rosette lichen share several features in terms of color and branching!
Sources:
iNaturalist, Powder-tipped Rosette, May 2021, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/228044-Physcia-dubia
Wildflower Search, Physcia Dubia, May 2021, https://wildflowersearch.org/search?&tsn=14026
iNaturalist, Rosette Lichens, May 2021, https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/117887-Physcia
Consortium of North American Lichen Herbaria, Physcia Dubia, May 2021, https://lichenportal.org/cnalh/taxa/index.php?taxon=55121&clid=1037
NatureServe, Physcia Dubia, May 2021, https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.123549/Physcia_dubia
Image: Andrew Khistun, https://mushroomobserver.org/image/show_image/201136?obs=88246, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Taylor Gardner (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)