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t * / f
L IC H E N tbelostomus
Nipple-shielded Lichen.
' CRYP TOG AMI A Algce.
G en. C har. Male, scattered warts.
Female, smooth shields or tubercles, in which the
seeds are imbedded.
S p e c . C h a r . Crust tartareous, thin, continued, brown,
minutely cracked. Shields sessile, hemispherical,
umbilicated, reddish; with a thick, elevated, even
border, of the colour and substance of the crust.
Syn. Verrucaria thelostoma. Ach. in Winch v. 2 . 4 4 .
O U R liberal friend Mr. Winch, to whom we have often
been indebted, has enabled us, by an authentic specimen, to
understand this Lichen; and if we differ from him and the
learned Acharius in its arrangement, we are open to correction,
and our figure, which is very exact, will enable those
who are competent to judge. We received this species
formerly from the Rev. Mr. Harriman, its original discoverer
on whinstone rocks near Eggleston, Durham. No other
person seems to have found if, and it \vai new to Acharius
himself. The crust forms roundish patches, and is thin hut
tartareous, finely cracked when dry, scarcely bordered, of a
dirty brown throughout. Shields numerous, not much crowded,
small, sessile, hemispherical and rather prominent; their border
of the colour and texture of the crust, tumid, elevated,
very smooth and entire ; the disk small, darkish brown when
dry, red or cinnamon-coloured when wet, in which state it is
clearly distinguishable from the border, and decidedly conformable
to the character of Lichen, or the Parmelia of Acharius.
The centre indeed is a little elevated and umbilicated,
which, without dissection, or an attention to the proper border,
might give the idea of a Verrucaria.