Lichen aromaticus Turn, in Sm. Engl. Bot. t. 1777 (1807).
Lecidea aromatica Ach. Lich. Univ. p. 168 (1810) ; S. P. Gray
Nat. A rr. i. p. 464 ; Hook, in Sm. Engl. El. v. p. 177 ; Cromb.
Lich. Brit. p. 78 pro p a rte ; Leight. Lich. FI. p. 332; ed. 3,
p. 352. L. coeruleonigricans var. ¡3 aromatica Tayl. in Mackay
FI. Hib. ii. p. 131 (1836) ? Toninia aromatica Massal. Symm.
Lich. p. 54 (1855); Mudd Man. p. 174, t. 3, f. 64.
Exsicc. Leight. n. 154 ; Larb. Cæsar. n. 85 ; Cromb. n. 180.
The name aromatica was given by Turner on account of the
supposed fragrant scent of the plant when bruised, which however is a
mistake. At times the thallus occurs in small scattered patches ; the
apothecia are often confluent and difform. The var. hypsophila Nyl.
ex Cromb. Lioh. Brit. p. 78 (1870), wrongly printed hypnophila, has
a somewhat less developed thallus ; it is found on rocks in alpine
situations.
Hah. On the ground among calcareous rocks and on mortar of old
walls in maritime and upland tracts.—Distr. Not unfrequent in
England, rare in Scotland, Ireland, and the Channel Islands.—E. M.
St. Aubin’s Harbour, Jersey ; Port Gorey, Sark ; I. of Wight ; Torquay
and Bolt Head, Devon ; near Penzance, Cornwall ; Bathampton Hill,
Somerset ; Shoreham and Tillington, Sussex ; Hempstead, Gloucestershire
; Barmouth, Merioneth ; Trefriw, Carnarvonshire ; Oswestry,
Llanymynech Hill and Llanforda, Shropshire; Tenby, Pembrokeshire
; near Yarmouth, Norfolk ; near Roselierry and Ayton, Cleveland,
Yorkshire; Teesdale, Durham; near Appin House, Argyll; Craig
Tulloch and Ben Lawers, Perthshire ; Craig Guie, Braemar, Aberdeenshire
; Cloghan near Kylemore, Connemara, Galway.
3. B. carbonacea J a t ta Syll. Lich. Ita l. p. 403 (1900).—
Thallus brownish-black, suborbicular, ra th e r thick, formed of
minute convex entire or crenate wrinkled squamules, sometimes
cracked-areolate. Apothecia small, black, solitary or aggregate,
sessile with a prominent margin, becoming immarginate ; hypothecium
thick, reddish-black; paraphyses distinct, brownish or
greenish-black a t the clavate apices; spores linear-oblong, straight
or curved, 3-septate, 0,015-22 mm. long, 0,004 mm. thick.—
Toninia carhonacea Anzi Cat. Lich. Sondr. p. 68 (1860). Lecidea
aromatica subsp. carhonacea Cromb. Lich. Brit. p. 78 (1870).
L . carhonacea Leight. Lich. PI. p. 331 ; ed. 3, p. 351.
Differs from E. aromatica in the form and colour of the thallus,
and in the darker-coloured epithecium.
Hah. On rocks.—Distr. Rare in mountainous regions in N. Scotland
and W. Ireland.—E. M. Ben Lawers, Perthshire ; Achosragan
Hill, Appin, Argyll ; Craig Guie, Braemar, Aberdeenshire.
4. _B. squamulosa A. L. Sm.—Thallus subdeterminate, thick
or thinnish, squamulose, appressed, pale- or tawny-brown ;
squamules small, subimbricate, angular, crenate a t the mai-o-ins
( F —, CaCl — ). Apothecia small, innate-sessile, a t first plane
and thinly margined, then convex and immarginate, black;
paraphyses slender, bluish-black a t the slightly clavate apices ;
hypothecium thick, reddish-black ; spores fusiform-cylindrical,
3-septate, 0,015—18 mm. long, 0,004—5 mm. th ic k ; hymenial
gelatine bluish th en tawny-wine-red with iodine. — Toninia
squamulosa Mudd Man. p. 174 (1861). Lecidea squamulosa
Deakin ex Mudd I. c .; Cromb. Lich. Brit. p. 79 ; Leight. Lich.
PI. p. 331 ; ed. 3, p. 353.
Exsicc. Larb. Lich. Hb. n. 181.
Found originally by Salwey and partly described without name in
Trans. Penzance Nat. Hist. Soc. 1853, p. 144, where he says th a t in
age the squamules become flat, noncrenate, and lighter in colour.
The numerous apothecia are either solitary or several congregate.
Hab. On rooks, walls, and the soil in crevices, in maritime
rarely upland hilly districts.—Distr. Rather local in England, rare
in N.E. Scotland, Ireland, and the Channel Islands.—E. M. Port
Gorey, Sark; above Anstey’s Cove, Torquay, and near Kingsbridge,
Devon; near Truro, near Trengwainton, and a t Madron Union,
Penzance, Cornwall; Bathampton Hill, Somerset; Malvern H ills ;
Worcestershire; Barmouth, Merioneth; Craigforda and Llanymynech,
Shropshire ; Slaghead Kirk, near Stonehaven, Kincardineshire; Craig
Tulloch, Blair Athole, P e rth sh ire ; Blaokwater, K erry; Lettermore,
Connemara, Galway.
5. B. mesoidea A. L. Sm.—Thallus subdeterminate, subopaque,
unequal, subareolate-rimose, greyish or greyish-brown
(K —, CaCl — ). Apothecia moderate, a t first thinly margined,
then convex, immarginate, black ; paraphyses slender, blackish
a t the clavate apices; hypothecium thick, reddish-black, the
inner layer of perithecium and base of hymenium yellowish-red;
spores oblong, 3-septate, 0,014-20 mm. long, about 0,004-6 mm.
thick ; hymenial gelatine bluish then violet-coloured with iodine.
—Lecidea mesoidea Nyl. in Flora li. p. 475 (1868); Leight. in
Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 4, iii. p. 268 (1869) & Lich. PI.
p. 333; ed. 3, p. 350; Cromb. Lich. Brit. p. 78. L. suhimhricata
Nyl. in Flora Ix. p. 460 (1877); Cromb. in Grevillea vi. p 112;
Leight. Lich. FI. ed. 3, p. 350.
Intimately related to the preceding, but differs in the more
crustaceous thallus, the darker epithecium and the rather thicker
spores. According to Nylander it approaches Lecidea acclinis Flot.,
a corticolous plant not found in Britain. In our specimen of L.
subimbricata the thallus is thicker and generally darker owing to the
presence of some blue-green alga; the specimen was collected in a
moist situation.
Hab. On granitic and schistose rocks in maritime localities.—
Distr. Found only very sparingly in the Channel Islands, S. Wales,
and N.W. Ireland.—E. M. Fliquet Bay, Jersey; Sark; Killery Bay
and Kylemore Lake, Connemara, Galway.
6. B. sabulosa Massal. Ric. Lich. p. 122, fig. 239 (1852).
— Thallus determinate, thickish, granulose - squamulose, the
squamules small, more or less concrescent and crenate-lobulate,
greyish-white, greyish-brown, or cream-coloured (K —, CaCl —).