This low elevation lichen species is found in western North America from southern California to southern British Columbia, where it occurs on calcium/magnesium-rich (high pH) inclined rock outcrops with periodic seepage (COSEWIC 2011). It is a distinctive lichen species with leafy medium-sized lobes and dark bluish upper surface, and reproduces both sexually and asexually (COSEWIC 2011). This species has been reported from only five Canadian locations, three of which still persist (COSEWIC 2011). Read the COSEWIC status report on this species.

Species description:
Thallus small to medium but not minute; lobes averaging to more than 1.5 mm wide, always dorsiventral; isidia present or absent, distinctly wrinkled upper surface AND
Lobe margins naked; isidia, if present, naked AND
Lobes broad or, if elongate, then never both erect and terminating in distinctly swollen tips; lobe tips averaging to less than 0.2 mm thick when moist, seldom strongly wrinkled when dry; habitat and distribution various AND
Lower surface naked or bearing scattered tufts of hair at points of attachment, never distinctly woolly AND
Isidia and/or lobules present over upper surface AND
Thallus distinctly thick, averaging to more than 0.15 mm thick when moist; strictly coastal AND
Upper surface finely wrinkled; isidia coarse, lobulate, scattered

Comments:
The local material differs from typical L. platynum in being thinner than average (i.e., less than 0.2 mm thick) and consistently bearing lobulate isidia over the upper surface.

Source:  Lichens of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration By:  Trevor Goward