Buellia badia, the parasitic button lichen, is a dark chocolate-brown crustose areolate lichen of Europe, northern Africa, and North America that starts as a parasite growing on other lichens, such as Aspicilia phaea, gradually then becoming independent growing on rock (sometimes also on hardwood.[1]: 229  [2] Areoles may be contiguous or dispersed.[2] Lecideine apothecia are 0.3 to 0.9 mm in diameter with black discs, that are initially flat, then become strongly convex as they age.[2] Lichen spot tests are all negative.[1]: 229  There are no known secondary metabolites as of (2001).[2] It is similar in appearance and other ways to the chocolate brown Dimelaena californica, which also starts off as a parasite on other lichens, and has spores of similar shape, size, and internal construction.[2] D. californica has not been found on wood, is more preferential as to the lichens it starts growing on (usually Dimeleana radiate), and commonly has norstictic acid as a secondary metabolite.[2] Some think they should be included in a new, third genus.[2]

Buellia badia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Caliciales
Family: Caliciaceae
Genus: Buellia
Species:
B. badia
Binomial name
Buellia badia
(Fr.) A.Massal. (1853)
Synonyms
  • Lecidea badia Fr. (1825)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-19500-2
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Buellia badia, Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region, Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bugartz, F., (eds.) 2001, [1] Archived 2014-11-09 at the Wayback Machine