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Baculifera curtisii (Tuck.) Marbach
Curtis's Buttons

Photo © Don Hunter, Whitfield Co., 23 August 2016
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Federal Protection: No US federal protection

State Protection: No Georgia state protection

Global Rank: G5

State Rank: SNR

Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: No

SWAP High Priority Species (SGCN): No

Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 0

Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Woodlands, forests


Description

Pale thallus with black usually circular, obviously rimmed disks; MICROSCOPY: brown spores 2-celled, usually with conical rather than smoothly rounded tips, 16-23 µm long, red crystals of norstictic acid salt rapidly deposited in KOH wet mount; CHEMISTRY: thallus K+ rapidly red (norstictic acid); FIELD ID: dissection is required to sort out black-dot lichens on bark

Similar Species

Buellia erubescens has shorter spores (rarely longer than 15 µm) with more consistently rounded tips, its disks tend to have narrower, less prominent rims (though this character is inconsistent), & it has less norstictic acid so tends to turn red more slowly (qualitative); Baculifera imshaugiana has broader spores, & the wall between the cells is noticeably thickened

Related Rare Species

None

Habitat

Woodlands, forests; substrates: 87% hardwood bark (30% Quercus spp.); 13% Pinus & Taxodium bark

Life History

Corticolous crustose lichenized fungus, photobiont a green, unicellular alga in Trebouxia

Survey Recommendations

None

Range

Found throughout the state

Threats

Unknown

Georgia Conservation Status

Common

Conservation Management Recommendations

None

References

Brodo, I. M. 2001. Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.

Brodo, I. M. 2016. Keys to lichens of North America: revised and expanded. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.

Esslinger, T. L. 2021. A cumulative checklist for the lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada. Version 24. Opuscula Philolichenum 20: 100-394.

Harris, R. C. 1995. More Florida lichens including the 10-cent tour of the pyrenolichens. Unpublished manuscript, Bronx, N.Y.

Harris, R. C. & D. Ladd. 2005. Preliminary draft: Ozark lichens. Unpublished manuscript, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY.

Authors of Account

Malcolm Hodges

Date Compiled or Updated

6 March 2022