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Dirinaria confluens (Fr.) D. D. Awasthi
Confusing Medallion
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: GNR
State Rank: SNR
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: No
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: None
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 0
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Granitic and kaolin outcrops, boulders in forests
Crowded pale-green lobes tightly adhering to substrate, dividing to fill all space as lichen grows out, lobes 0.5-1(-2) mm wide; flat blue-purple to almost black disks with green rims confined to older parts of thallus; no rhizines on black underside; microscopy: spores (5-)7-10 µm wide; CHEMISTRY: medulla UV+ blue-white (divaricatic acid); FIELD ID: best left at genus without extensive experience or direct comparison with lookalike; requires in-lab measurements & dissection
Dirinaria confusa is essentially a larger version of this species, with big disks 1-2 mm wide (up to 4 mm) & often narrow spores 5-8 µm wide; D. purpurascens also has a small thallus & narrow lobes, but has reddish-purple disks, though pruina is sometimes confined to outer edge of disk
None
Mostly rocks imbedded in forests; substrate: silicious rock (elsewhere also on bark)
Saxicolous (elsewhere also corticolous) lichenized fungus, photobiont a green alga (Trebouxia?)
None
Mostly just across Fall Line in Coastal Plain, with 1 record from the Piedmont
Unknown
Rare
None
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.
Malcolm Hodges
4 January 2024