Glossary

A

acicular 

needle-shaped

acute

sharply printed

adnate

closely attached, appressed-used of the attachment of fruit to thallus or of thallus to substrate

aggregate

clustered

anastomosing

joining together to form a network

apothecium (s) 
apothecia (pl)

( fruit body of the fungal component of a lichen, often cup-shaped, usually open above, with disc exposed

appressed

flatly pressed against a surface

areolate

sharply divided into areolae by cracks

Ascocarps

fruiting body, ascus producing structure in the Ascomycetes

Ascospore(s)

a spore produced inside an ascus

Ascus

sporocyst - a sac-like cell in which after karyogamy and meiosis endocellular ascospores are formed

B

Bacillar

rod-shaped

biatorine

said of a lecideine apothecium which lacks a true exciple when mature and is soft-textured, convex, and light-coloured

bilocular

two-celled (of a spore)

bitunicate

Double walled (of an ascus)

C

capitate

swollen at the tip into a well-formed head

carbonised
carbonaceous

black and easily crumbled, coal-like

centrum

general term to describe asci and hamathecium

clavate

club-shaped

concave

Hallowed out, basin-like

concolourous

of the same colour

confluent

blending or running together

conical

in the form of a cone

convex

equally rounded, broadly obtuse

cortex

a tissue of loose or compacted hyphae, which may appear cellular or fibrous, forming the outer layer of the thallus

corticolous

growing on the bark of trees or shrubs

crenate

Edged with small, rounded teeth

crustose

crust-like; i.e. thallus stretching over and firmly fixed to the substratum by the whole lower surface and generally lacking of rhizines

cyanobacteria

a blue-green algal cyanobiont (Gleocapsa and Nostoc)

cyphellae

pore through the lower cortex, lined with a pseudocortex, in Pyxine

D

dichotomous

branching into two or more equal arms, usually repeatedly and successively

diffuse

widely or loosely spreading, with no distinct margin

dimidiate

said of a perithecium in which the outer wall covers only the upper half of the perithecium

disc

the spore producing portion of an ascoma, usually round, plate-like, or curved

distoseptate

having septa which are distinctly thickened towards the ends

dorsal

upper surface

dorsiventral

with distinct upper and lower surfaces

E

E-

latin prefix, usually signifying without, e.g. epruinose, ecorticate

ecorticate

cortex absent

ecorticated

having no cortex

effigurate

having a definite form, not effuse

effuse

film-like, spreading without a distinct margin

ellipsoidal

elliptical in optical section(of spore)

endolithic

immersed in rock

endophloedal

immersed in bark

endospore

inner wall layer of the ascospores

entire

with a continuos margin

epilithic

growing on the surface of rock

epiphloedal

living upon bark

epithecium

layer of tissue at the surface of an apothecium formed by the branching of the apical cells of the paraphyses

epruinose

without pruina

exciple

a tissue or tissues containing the hymenium of the apothecium, or forming the walls of the perithecium

filamentous

thread-like, the photobiont forming a filament of cells which is surrounded by the mycobiont, or to fungal hyphae

filiform

thread-like

fissured

cracked, split

flabellate

fan-shaped

foliicolous

living on leaves

foliose

leaf-like, with a distinct upper and lower surface

forked

furcated

fruticose

shrubby, having an upright or hanging thallus with a radial structure

fusiform

spindle-like, narrowing at ends, wider in the middle

G

gelatinous

jelly-like, rubbery

glabrous

without hairs, smooth

glaucous

having a bluish-grey bloom

globose

spherical shape

granular

like grains

hamathecium

neutral term used for all types of hyphae and other tissues between the asci

hemispherical

with roughly the form of half a sphere

heteromerous

(of a layered thallus) having the mycobiont and the photobiont evenly distributed through the thallus

holdfast

an expanded often disc-like, attachment of thallus to substrate

holotype

The one single specimen or other single element used by an author or designated by him as the nomenclatural type of a taxon

homiomerous

of a lichen thallus, having the mycobiont and phycobiont evenly intermixed

hyaline

colourless or transparent

hymenial algae

algal cells in the hymenium of a lichenized ascomycetes eg. Endocarpon

hymenium

the spore-bearing layer of a fruiting body, containing asci, spores and paraphyses

hyphae

one of the filaments of a fungal mycelium

hypothallus

a layer of hyphae, often dense and +/- woolly at margins or below thallus, often black or dark brown 

hypothecium

tissues below the hymenium

I

imbricate

overlapping

immersed

embedded in the thallus or substratum

innate

immersed

inspersed

sprinkled with granules

involucrellum

tissue of upper part of ascocarps (often pigmented) of some lichenized ascomycotina

isidiate

a (pin-like) vegetative propagule bounded by a true cortex, comprising both photobiont cells and fungal hyphae; usually concolourous with the upper surface of the thallus

isotype

a duplicate of a holotype, i.e. part of the single collection which includes the holotype

L

labia

lips-like (carbonised portion of the lirellate ascomata as seen in  Graphis sp.)

lacinae

thallus lobes overlapping one another

lateral

at or near edge, especially side or secondary branches

lecanorine

an apothecium with thalline margin(exciple) containing cells of photobiont

lecideine

an apothecium with thalline margin(exciple) containing no cells of photobiont

lentiform

of the shape of a +/- circular biconvex lens

leprose

having a loose powdery surface without a cortex

lichexanthone

a secondary metabolite found in the thallus of some lichen-forming fungi (Phyxine sp.) - fluoresce yellow under UV illumination

lignicolous

growing on decorticated wood (dead wood)

linear

long and narrow, with parallel margins

lirellate

long and narrow apothecium

lobes

a rounded segment of a divided or incised thallus

lobulate

with small lobes

locule

cell or cavity (of a ascospore)

M

macrolichen

larger lichens of squamulose, foliose or fruticose habit

maculate

Spotted or blotched, often caused by discontinuities in photobiont zone below upper cortex

marginal

At or near the margin

matt

with a dull surface

medulla

(of lichen thallus) the loose layer of hyphae below the cortex and algal layer

microlichen

crustose lichen, usually small

mischoblastiomorphic

(of an ascospore) refer diagram*

moniliform

Like a string of beads

multiseptate

with many septa

multispored

many spored

muriform

brick-wall like, having transverse and longitudinal septa

muscicolous

growing on mosses

mycobiont

the fungal partner in the lichen symbiosis

O

oblong-ellipsoid

(of an ascospore) having long sides parallel, and ends almost hemispherical

obpyriform

a reverse of a pear-shaped

obtuse

Blunt or rounded

orbicular

Rounded in outline, +/- flat

ostiole

Cavity ending in a pore in the papilla or neck of a perithecium or pycnidium

oval

elliptic in outline

ovoid

a solid with an egg-shaped outline

P

pallid

pale

palmate

radiately lobed or divided

papilla

A small wart or lump, usually rounded

paraphysis

hyphae originating from the base of the cavity, usally unbranched and not anastomosed

paraplectenchymatous

in paraplectenchyma (sometimes called pseudoparenchyma), the hyphae typically are thin-walled and shortcelled and are not oriented in any particular direction, so in section the tissue appears to be made up of round (isodiametric) cells with large lumina.

pedicellate

stalked

peltate

Shield like

pendulous

hanging down (as in Roccella sp.)

perforate

with holes through the thallus

peridium

perithecial wall in which metaporphosed, carbonised cork cells of the substratum are associated

periphyses

an upward pointing hypha inside, or near, the ostiole of a perithecium or pycnidium

perithecium(s) Perithecia (pl)

(plura perithecia) a flask-like fruiting body of Ascomycota. The hymenium is never exposed, and the mature spores usually are released through a pore at the tope.  Perithecia come in various shapes, sizes, and colours, and can be immersed in the thallus or sessile upon it.

photobiont

the photosynthetic symbiont of a lichen.  It can be either a green alga or a cyanobacterium, and some lichens contain both types

placodioid

crustose at the centre but lobed and plicate at the circumference

plicate

folded into peats

polaribilocular

(of ascospores)  two-celled, with the two locules separated by a thick septum which has a narrow canal running through its centre

polycarpic

of several fruiting body

pore

a small opening

prosoplectenchymatous

in prosoplectenchyma (sometimes called scleroplectenchyma), the hyphae typically are thick-walled and long -celled and are oriented roughly parallel, so that in section the tissue appears to have long, thin cavities with occasional side-braches

prothallus

An initial structure of hyphae from which the proper thallus develops, visible along the periphery of the thallus

pruinose

having a frost-like or flour-like surface covering

Pseudo-

used as a prefix signifying false or spurious

pseudocyphella

a tiny slit-like opening in the upper or lower cortex of a thallus, exposing the hyphae of the medulla.  It can be variously shaped, but unlike a cyphella is not lined with dense  hyphae

puntiform

dot like

pustulate

covered with blisters

pycnidium

small, globose or flask-like sporocarp in which pycnoconidia are developed. pl. pycnidia

R

reticulate

With a network of ridges, grooves, or lines on the surface

rhizines

root-like hair or thread; the attachment organ of many foliose lichens

rhomboidal

shape of the locule (of a spore)

rimose

cracked

S

saxicolous

growing on stones and rocks

septate

divided by cross walls

sessile

not stalked, attached at the base

solitary

single

sorediate

a non-corticate combination of photobiont cells and fungal hyphae having the appearance of a powdery granule and capable of vegetative reproduction

spathulate

with a gradually widened and flattened blunt end, as a spatula

spore

a general term for a reproductive structure in fungi, bacteria and crytogams, often 1-celled, the analogue of seed in phaenarogams.

squamulose

a small separate thallus scale or lobe (less then 5mm long) with or without a lower cortex

squamulose

Having small scales (growth form of a lichen thallus)

stellate

star shaped

sterile

not producing spores or sporocarp

stipe

a stalk supporting an apothecium

strap shaped

watch-like thallus (flattened) e.g. Roccella sp.

stroma

a mass or matrix of vegetative hyphae in or on which spores are produced often covering several ascomata

sub-cuticular

thallus beneath the cuticle layer

substratum

the underlying layer;  the base to which a plant is fixed

supra-cuticular

thallus above the cuticle layer

T

taxon

a taxonomic group of any rank e.g. genus, species

terricolous

growing on the ground

thalline margin

(of an apothecium) lichenized excipular tissue, external to a proper exciple

thallus

a vegetative body of a lichen or other thallophytes

tholus

apical portion of ascus

tomentose

having a dense covering of soft matted hairs; downy

transverse

across the width

U

umbilicus

a protuberance at the centre, often the point of attachment

urceolate

pitcher-like

V

vein

strand of conducting or strengthenings tissue

verruca

wart or wart like swelling pl. verrucae

verrucose

having small rounded processes or warts

verruculose

delicately verrucose