General:
Common Name: The Brown Lichens. Describes the colour of the upper surface in this genus. Small to occasionally medium stratified foliose lichens, corticate above and below, sorediate or isidiate or not, pseudocyphellate or not, lobes closely appressed to rather loosely appressed, short to elongate, 0.4–4 (–7) mm wide, thin or somtimes rather thick. Upper surface brown, K-, HNO3- (ours), pruinose or not. Lower surface pale to blackish, bearing short, simple rhizines. Medulla white. Photobiont green.
Apothecia located over upper surface, disc brown; spores simple, ellipsoid, colourless, 8 (–32) per ascus.
Over bark or rock.
Notes: Melanelia is primarily a temperate and boreal genus consisting of about 35 species worldwide. Twentythree of these occur in North America and 17 in B.C. Melanelia was one of several genera recently segregated from the classic genus Parmelia.

Species description:
Soredia and/or isidia present AND
Thallus sorediate, soredio-isidiate (i.e., isidia with “soft” appearance) or, if strictly isidiate, then isidia coloured differently from upper surface AND
Thallus sorediate or if isidiate, then mature isidia either distinctly associated with soralia or strictly cylindrical; over bark, wood or rock; upper surface HNO3- AND
Soralia distinctly delimited and generally tightly packed with soredia (or isidia); habitat various AND
Upper surface generally dark brown or blackening; lobes closely appressed; over rock (very rare over wood) AND
Upper surface without pseudocyphellae or, if pseudocyphellae present, then these located along margins; lobes typically less than 1.5 mm wide; medulla C- AND
Soralia discrete (never coalescing), located mostly on tips of small, raised lateral lobes; pseudocyphellae absent; lobes generally elongate-linear; upper surface dull

Reactions:
Medulla KC- or rarely KC+ faint rose.

Contents:
Perlatolic and stenosporic acids (and various unknown substances).

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

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Melanelia sorediosa (Almb.) Essl.
Parmelia sorediata (Ach.) Th. Fr.
Parmelia sorediosa Almb.