pits (foveolate), plane, blackish, ciesio-pruinose or naked, within
greyish in the middle, the margin thin, evanescent; paraphyses
concrete; epithecium and hypothecium more or less brownish;
spores ellipsoid or subellipsoid, 0,012-18 mm. long, 0,007-9 mm.
thick ; hymenial gelatine bluish then wine-red with iodine.—
S. P. Gray Nat. Arr. i. p. 467 ; Hook, in Sm. Engl. FI. v. p.
179 ; Tayl. in Mackay FI. Hib. ii. p. 125. L. calcivora Nyl. in
Ach. Soc. Linn. Bord. ser. 3, i. p. 381 (1856); Mudd Man. p.
2 0 3 ; Cromb. Lich. Brit. p. 81 ; Leight. Lich. FI. p. 300;
ed. 3, p. 310. Lichen immersus Web. Spicil. FI. Goett. p. 188
(1778) pro p a rte ; Eogl. Bot. t. 193; With. Arr. ed. 3, iv.
p. 6 pro parte. L. calcivorus Ehrh. Crypt. Exs. n. 244 (1793).
Lxsicc. Leight. n. 94 ; Cromb. n. 184.
The thallus is but very rarely visible, being almost always confused
with the substratum. When obsolete, it is indicated by more or less
scattered gonidia immersed in the rook. The immersed apothecia
when young resemble those of Verrucaria immersa, with which it is
then apt to be confounded. Under the apothecia, the pits (fossulae),
as stated by Nylander, present minute confused colourless thalline
cellules.
Hab. On calcareous rooks and cretaceous stones in maritime and
upland tracts.—DfsZr. Here and there in England and N. Wales, rare
in the Highlands of Scotland and in S.E. Ireland.—B. M. Shiere,
Surrey; above Anstey’s Cove, Torquay, and Elburton, near Plymouth,
Devon; Weston-super-Mare and Bathampton, Somerset; Cunning
Dale,_ near Buxton, Derbyshire; Eglwyseg rocks, near Llangollen,
Denbighshire; Great Orme’s Head, Carnarvonshire; Craig-y-Ehiw,
Oswestry, Shropshire; near Thirsk, Yorkshire; Teesdale, Durham;
Lamplugh, Cumberland; Island of Lismore, Argyll; Ben Lawers,
Perthshire; Middleton, Cork.
51. L. Metzleri Th. Fr. Lich. Scand. p. 478 (1874).-~Thallus
effuse, thin, whitish or greyish-white, usually obliterated (K —,
CaCl — ). Apothecia small, innate in pits (foveolate), becoming
slightly prominent, blackish, naked, plane and thinly margined,
a t length convex, immarginate; paraphyses conglutinate, dark-
brown a t the apices; hypothecium pale-brownish ; spores broadly
oblong, 0,018-28 mm. long, 0,006-12 mm. thick ; hymenial
gelatine bluish then tawny-wine-red with iodine.—Leight. Lich.
PI. ed. 3, p. 311. Biatora Metzleri K oerb. Par. Lich. p. 162 (1860).
Very similar to the preceding, for which it might readily be taken.
It differs, however, externally in the apothecia being smaller, less
deeply imbedded, dark-purplish when moistened, constantly epruinose ;
and internally by the much larger spores. A closely allied plant is
L. chondrodea (Massal.) Nyl., recorded as British by Leighton (Lioh.
El. ed. 3, p. 258), but Leighton’s specimen belongs to the present
species.
Hah. Cn cretaceous stones and calcareous rocks in maritime and
upland tracts.—Distr. Cnly a very few localities in S. England and
S. Wales.—B.M. The Downs, Lewes, Sussex; Shiere, Surrey; Yatton,
Somerset; Giltar Point, Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
52. L. OchraceaWedd. in Mém. Soc. Sc. Nat. Cherb. xvii. p. 369
(1873).—Thallus effuse, very thin, subleprose, slightly rimulose,
sordid-whitish, greyish-brown or brownish-ochraceous (K —,
CaCl — ), often scarcely visible. Apothecia sessile, small, plane,
thinly margined, a t length somewhat convex and immarginate,
black or brownish-black ; hypothecium dark-brown ; epithecium
tawny-brown ; spores ellipsoid, 0,009-12 mm. long, 0,005-6 mm.
thick ; hymenial gelatine bluish then wine-red with iodine.—
Cromb. in Journ. Bot. xiii. p. 141 (1875); Leight. Lich. PI. ed.
3, p. 251. Biatora ochracea Hepp Plecht. Europ. n. 263 (1851).
L. subochracea Nyl. Lich. Env. Paris Suppl. p. 5 (1897).
Lxsicc. Larb. Lich. Hb. nos, 64, 137 ; Johns, n. 336.
Cften not rightly discriminated from L. fuscorubens. Nylander,
however, I. c., says th at its true affinity is with the preceding, from
which it differs in the much smaller spores. The thallus is frequently
obsolete, when it is form ecrustaoea Larb. in Leight. Lich. El. I. c.
In moist situations the apothecia are reddish-brown. The spermogones,
rarely visible on our specimens, have the spermatia straight,
cylindrical, 0,006-6 mm. long, about 0,01 mm. thick.
Hab. Cn calcareous rocks and flints in maritime and upland districts.—
Dfsi. Ccoasionally in S. England, the S. Grampians, Scotland,
and S. and W. Ireland.—B .M . Near Lewes, Sussex; Ben Lawers,
Perthshire ; Achosragan Hill, Appin, Argyll ; near Cork ; Lough Feagh,
Croagh Glen, and near Kylemore, Connemara, Galway.
53. L. turgidula Pr. Sched. Crit. i. p. 10 (1824).~Thallus
effuse, very thin, granulose or leprose-pulverulent, whitish (K —,
CaCl — ). often evanescent. Apothecia small, plane or convex,
immarginate, black, brownish-black, or rarely reddish-brown,
naked or slightly bluish-grey pruinose, within pale-whitish or dark ;
paraphyses brownish or blackish a t the apices ; hypothecium
pale-brownish or sordid-dark ; spores ellipsoid or ellipsoid-oblong,
minute, 0,007-12 mm. long, 0,003-5 mm. th ic k ; hymenial
gelatine deep blue then dark violet with iodine.—Mudd Man.
P- 201 ; Cromb. Lich. Brit. p. 69 ; Leight. Lich. FI. p. 263 ; ed. 3,
Lxsicc. Mudd n. 171 ; Cromb. n. 83.
A variable plant as to the thallus, the colours of the apothecia and
tne paraphyses. The thallus, usually more or less immersed (hypo-
phloeodal), is often in lignicolous specimens entirely obsolete, when
the apothecia are erumpent between the fibres of the wood. I t is
then iormerumpens Nyl. in Not. Sallsk. Faun. & PL Eenn. iv. p. 232.
The apothecia are numerous and either solitary or congregate. The
not unfrequent spermogones are black, with spermatia 0,006-6 mm.
long, about 0,001 mm. thick.
Hab. On old pales, the bark and stumps of felled trees, chiefly fir,
m upland wooded situations.—Distr. Occasionally throughout Great
Dritam, but plentiful where it occurs ; not seen from Ireland.—D. M.
Shanklin, Isle of Wight ; Lyndhurst, New Forest, Hants ; near Bovey
iraoey D o to u ; Rodmorton, Gloucestershire; Dolgelly, Merioneth;
Baysdale, Cleveland, Yorkshire; Glen Fender, Ben Lawers, Glen