[ 1713 ] A
L I CHEN fagineus.
Bitter Powdery-shielded Lichen.
CRYPTOGAMIA Alga.
Gen. Char. Male, scattered warts.
Female, smooth shields or tubercles, in which the
seeds are imbedded.
Spec. Char. Crust rugged, bordered, greyish. T u bercles
prominent, hemispherical, mealy, very
white.
Syn. Lichen fagineus. Linn. Sp. PI. 1608,, Ach.
Prod. 27. Iludls. 526. With. v. 4. 4. Hull. 284.
Relh. 446. Sihth. 318. Abbot. 257. Light/. 80*7.
Hoffm. Enum. 18. t. 2 . ƒ 4.
Variolaria faginea.O Ach. Meth. 1 2 .
A VERY common Lichen on the trunks of Beech, Sycamore,
Oak, &c., about which no doubt nor difficulty has been supposed
to exist ; yet we cannot with certainty fix upon any synonym
of Dillenius, and Professor Acharius has lately distinguished
many species nearly allied to it, and all together constituting
his Variolaria, a genus characterized by its mealy tubercles,
(contrary indeed to our definition of Lichen), which probably
will hereafter be firmly established.
The crust is circular, grey or greenish when young, rugged,
polished, with a thin, smooth, elegant border, coloured with
concentric shades of brown. Numerous prominent tubercles
are scattered over the central part, which are very white,
powdery and somewhat convex in their disks, with a clumsy
imperfect kind of border. By age both crust and tubercles
become of the same dirty white. *
Mr. W. Borrer has helped us to a sure criterion of this species,
which is its very bitter taste, not perceptible immediately, but,
when perceived, very strong, disagreeable, and permanent on
the palate for many hours, like that most abominable of all
flavours the root of Cyclamen europceum.