L ICHEN microsticticus.
Little-dotted Lichen.
CRYPTOGAMIA Algae.
G en. Char. Male, scattered warts.
Female, smooth shields or tubercles], in which the
seeds are imbedded.
Spec. Char. Crustaceous, cracked, warty, cream-coloured,
with a thin, smooth, white, evanescent
edge. Tubercles minute, black, with a sooty
uneven border.
Syn. Lichen punctatus. Dicks. Crypt, fasc. 3 . 15.
With, v, 4. 19.—See Winch v. 2. 4 7 . n. 1301.
W E g a th e red th is on slate ro c k s on the h ills ab o u t H a fo d ,
C a rd ig an sh ire , an d h a v e re c e iv ed it from the R e v . D r . Stuart
an d o thers, a s w e ll as from M r . D ick so n for h is re a l L . punctatus,
fo r w h ic h w e h a v e m is tak en a w ro n g p lan t in v. 7. t. 450.
T o th is la tter p e rh ap s th e fig u re in FI. Dan. t. 468. f . 2, m a y
b e lo n g ; c e r ta in ly not to th is present species.
W e v en tu re to g o counter to th e o p in ion o f th e g reat
D r . A c h a r iu s , w h o considers th is as,one fo rm o f L. Westringii,
t. 2 2 0 4 ; b u t o u r m o tiv e is c h ie fly to m ak e .this production
k n ow n , an d to in v ite d is c u s s io n ; not b y a n y means to assert
d o gm a t ic a lly w h a t w e c ann ot p ro v e . T h e c ru s t sp re ads over
ro c k s in a th in , con tin u ed , th o u g h c ra c k e d , fo rm , an d is rem
a rk ab le fo r the p e c u lia r ten u ity o f its v e r y smooth e d g e , w h ich
is evanescent, not lim ited , m u ch less bordered w ith a n y d a rk
co lo u r . T h e g en e ra l su r fa c e o f the c ru s t is c re am -colou red,
tu rn in g b row nish b y k e e p in g , be sp rin k led w ith minu te papillae
o r w a rt s , w h ic h ind e ed b e t r a y an a n a lo g y , b u t not ne cessarily
an id en tity , w ith th e g en u s Isidium. V e r y minute tu b e rc le s are
scatte red o v e r the su r fa c e , whose d isk is ra th e r c o n v e x , their
bo rd e r u neven an d o f a s till more o p a q u e an d intense b la ck
th an the d isk . T h e question is w h e th e r these be the real fru c tific
a tio n o f th e c ru s t, as w e b e lie v e ; or p a ra s it ic a l p rodu ction s,
a s in L . gelasinatus o f W ith e r in g . T h e y c e r ta in ly h a v e no
con n e x io n w ith th e fru c t ific a t io n o f L. Westringii. The re
b e in g a lr e a d y more th an one L. punctatus, we h a v e chosen a
new syn on ym o u s ap p e lla tio n .