Candelaria
Bright lemon-yellow, foliose to microfoliose lichens containing a trebouxioid alga, some species sorediate, sometimes entirely dissolving into soredia; apothecia coloured like the thallus, with an algal rim formed of cylindric hyphae, or, more often, round cells; hymenium formed of gel-embedded, mostly straight and unbranched paraphyses that are swollen at the tip, around which are abundant pigment crystals; hypothecium colourless; asci thickened at the tip in a tholus that reacts dark blue in IKI in its lower half, this dark blue dome penetrated by a paler blue axial masse; spores colourless, 8 to about 50 per ascus, simple or with a thin septum, elliptic or oblong.
References: Purvis et al. 1992; Foucard 2001.
Candelaria cf. concolor (Dickson) Stein
Thallus canary yellow to greenish yellow, squamulose; squamules 0.2-1 long × 0.1-0.5 mm wide, appressed to ascending, sorediate; soredia coarse, subisidiate, coloured like the squamules, sometimes overtaking the entire thallus and forming a loose aggregation spreading over small patches; soredia granular, 40-60 µ wide; apothecia rare, 0.4-1 mm wide, orangish yellow, with a prominent, persistent, alga-containing rim, the disc coloured like the rim; hymenium 60-90 µ high; spores 12 to about 50 per ascus, 5-14 × 4-6 µ, most 1-celled.
Reactions: Spot tests all negative, or the apothecia K+ slow reddish orange.
Contents: Calycin and pulvinic acid.
Habitat: Nutrified bark of drip-zones, bird-perches, on Populus tremuloides, on decaying deciduous bark, and rarely on polypore fungi, lower to middle elevations.
Similar Species: See notes under Candelariella sp. 1.
Specimens: Björk 13218.
Local Status: Occasional.
Notes: True C. concolor may be absent from the study area. That species produces well-formed squamules or leafy lobes, but the local material nearly lacks squamules and lobes. Candelaria pacifica Westberg is known from drier portions of south-central BC. Like C. concolor sensu stricto, it has well formed leafy lobes or squamules, but its squamules lack a lower cortex, the soredia are produced on the undersides of the lobes, and the soredia are greener than the squamules.