Letharia
Letharia (Th. Fr.) Zahlbr., 1892
| Common name | Wolf Lichens | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Field Characters | Fruticose, shrubby chlorolichens. Bright, chartreuse yellow. Branching abundantly, branches angular and ridged, moderately stiff but still pliable. Cortex typically soft and dull. Medulla loose and cottony, with strands of tough, fibrous tissue. Species typically either sorediate/isidiate and rarely fertile or abundantly fertile/apotheciate and lacking vegetative propagules. | ||
| Similar species |
None – this is our only bright yellow shrubby epiphytic lichen genus. Vulpicida are foliose yellow lichens that often co-occur with Letharia. |
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| Ecology | Epiphytic, mainly on conifers (especially pines) and downed wood, rarely found on the ground or rock in mountain and foothills sites. | ||
| Chemistry | Cortex and medulla PD-, K-, KC-, UV- (vulpinic acid, atranorin, norstictic acid in hymenium of apothecia). | ||
| Molecular support |
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| Links |
Species recorded in Alberta: 2 (maybe 3 if L. vulpina is confirmed with molecular data)
- L. columbiana (Nutt.) J. W. Thomson (ACIMS, ABMI)
- L. lupina Altermann, Leavitt & Goward/L. vulpina (L.) Hue (Altermann et al. 2016) (ACIMS, ABMI)
Click here for pdf key to Letharia in Alberta v.2025
RENR Students: Know the species Letharia columbiana and Letharia lupina– be able to key them out or recognize them (also covered in Brodo et al. 2001 and Goward 1999).
Gallery
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- Letharia vulpina s.l., Jackman Flats Natural Area, BC
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- Letharia columbiana, Oregon
Key Resources
Altermann, S., S. Leavitt & T. Goward. 2016. Tidying up the genus Letharia: Introducing L. lupina sp. nov. and a new circumscription for L. columbiana. The Lichenologist 48: 423-439.
McCune, B. & S. Altermann. 2009. Letharia gracilis (Parmeliaceae), a new species for California and Oregon. The Bryologist 112: 375-378.
McCune, B. & L. Geiser. 2009. Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest. 2nd edition. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR, USA.
