Cetraria aculeata (Schreb.) Fr., 1826
| Common name | Spiny Heath Lichen |
|---|---|
| Code | CETRACU |
| Field Characters | Small fruticose chlorolichens. Thalli vagrant or with limited attachments (hyphal holdfasts) to the substrate, and composed of thorny, angular, branching lobes. Cortex bronze, greenish brown, dark brown to almost black. Pseudocyphellae in depressions on the branches. Lacking rhizines. Soredia and isidia absent, apothecia uncommon. Reproducing largely through fragmentation and vagrancy.
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| Similar species & genera |
Cetraria muricata: less densely branched, pseudocyphellae plane to weakly depressed, branches more rounded. Not sure if this species is present or whether it can be reliably distinguished in Alberta. |
| Ecology | Terricolous, in open, arid and exposed ecosystems. Occasional in the grasslands and mountains, rare in the boreal, parkland and shield regions. |
| Chemistry | Aliphatic acids lichesterinic and protolichesterinic acids detectable by TLC. |
| Molecular support |
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| Links | |
| Gallery |
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l., Mattheis Ranch, AB
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l., Mattheis Ranch, AB
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l., Mattheis Ranch, AB
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l., Mattheis Ranch, AB
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l., Jasper National Park, AB
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l., grasslands near Enterprise, SK
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l., grasslands near Enterprise, SK
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l., grasslands near Burstall, SK
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l. with Cladonia spp, Peltigera, Jackman Flats, BC
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- Cetraria aculeata s.l. entangled with Selaginella densa, Xanthoparmelia, Mattheis Ranch, AB
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Cetraria aculeata s.l., on rock with Selaginella wallacei,
Kenna Cartwright Park, Kamloops, BC
