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L I C H E N fahlunenfis.
Flat Black Rock Richen.
M
CRYPTOGAMI A Alga.
Gen. Char. Male, fcattered warts.
Female, fmooth fbields or tubercles, in which the
feeds are imbedded.
Spec. Char. Imbricated; its fegments linear, forked,
flat, of a fhining olive black; coal-black and naked
beneath. Shields dark brown.
Syn. Lichen fahlunenfis. Linn. Sp. PI, 1610. Hudf.
532. With. v. 4. 30. Hull. 293. Dick/. H. Sicc,
fa ß . 14. 23.
Lichenoides tindlorium atrum, foliis minimis crifpis.
Dill. Mufc. 188. t. 24. f . 81.
Squamaria Fahlunenfis. Hojffm. PI. lieh. v. 2. 45.
t. 36. ƒ. 2,
L in n a e u s named this Lichen from having found it plentifully
on the dreary rocks about the copper-mines of Fahlun in
Sweden, where he tells us very few of the genus grow, either
on ftones or trees, Mr. Hudfon had it from Lancalhire and
Scotland. Our fpecimen was gathered by Mr. Griffith in
North Wales.
It grows in fpreading fiat patches, attached to the rocks rather
by its under furface than by any preceptible roots, for it is
quite fmooth beneath, by which, if other marks were wanting,
it might at once be known from every variety of L. ompha-
lodes, t. 604. The under fide is quite black, but not deftitute
of poliffi. The whole plant indeed is almoft black when dry,
When moift it afiumes a very dark olive hue, fmooth and
fhining. The fegments are linear, numerous, flat or rather
concave, by no means convex, by which laft mark it is eflen-
tially diftinguifhed from L.fiygius, The edges of the fegments
form an undulating line, and are black, either entire or finely
toothed and granulated. Shields numerous, of a deep blackifh
chefnut, having when young an elevated crenate margin,
which is obliterated by age.