L I C H E N multipunctus.
Many-dotted Lichen.
CRYPTOGAMIA Algce.
Gen. Char. Male, scattered warts.
Female, smooth shields or tubercles, in which the
seeds are imbedded.
Spec. Char. Crust ash-coloured, warty, rugged, tar-
tareous, thin, with a fibrous border. Shields hemispherical,
with a white aggregate powdery disk,
and smooth lobed border.
Syn. Variolaria multipuncta. Turn. Tr. o f L. Soc. v. 9.
137. t. 1 0 . / . 1 .
A m o n g the eight new British Lichens described by Mr.
Turner in the 9th volume of the Linnsean Society’s Transactions,
of which we have already given six to the public, is the
present curious species, found not uncommonly, on the
trunks of beeches in Sussex, by Mr. W. Borrer, who has
bestowed specimens upon us.
This has doubtless been overlooked among the fagineus,
discoideus, &c. Its crust is of a similar grey or ash-coloured
hue, tartareous, but thinner, spreading in roundish patches,
with a fine thin minutely, fibrous edge; the surface grows
rugged and warty by age, and is always opaque or unpolished,
changing nearly to white in drying. The shields are numerous,
rather small, hemispherical, with a thick, smooth,
lobed, but not granulated border; their disk white, rugged,
peculiar for being marked with 3 or 4 dots, which are found
to be so many distinct disks, as it were, in one border, being
separated from each other at the base internally, by the fleshy
substance of the crust. The old disks change to a brownish
colour.
Mr. Borrer observes that this species is destitute of the
nauseous bitter taste, which he first noticed in L. fagineus,
1. 1713.
20 6i
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