Coenogonium
Crustose, microfruticose or somewhat bract-like lichens containing a trentepohlioid alga; thallus mostly fibrous, consisting of a fungal sheath surrounding a single strand of Trentepohlia, or crustose, but still somewhat fibrous in anatomy; apothecia yellow, orange or tan, sometimes slightly stalked, with a thin but prominent, persistent, non-algal rim, the disc often sunken or concave; exciple formed of more or less rounded cells; hymenium formed of straight paraphyses loosely embedded in gel; hypothecium colourless; asci narrowly cylindrical, thin-walled, even at the apex, IKI+ pale blue; spores colourless, 8 per ascus, simple or 1-septate, fusiform to elliptical.
References: Purvis et al. 1992; Galloway 2007; Foucard 2001.
Coenogonium pineti (Ach) comb. ined.
Syn. Dimerella pineti (Ach.) Vězda
Thallus dark olive green or less often pale green, minutely fibrous or slime-like, occasionally immersed and not apparent; apothecia 0.2-0.4 mm wide, whitish or pale pinkish yellow, with a prominent, persistent rim higher than the concave disc, translucent when wet, all parts colourless as seen in LM; paraphyses mostly unbranched, swollen at the tip to 4 µ wide; spores 1-septate, spindle-shaped, 9-14 × 2-4 µ.
Reactions: All spot tests negative.
Contents: No known lichen substances.
Habitat: On wood or bark within the winter snowpack, always where humid and partly shaded, lower to middle elevations.
Similar Species: No other species of upper elevation forests has pale apothecia with the disc sunken below the rim.
Specimens: Björk 9894, 12878; Goward 02-36.
Local Status: Occasional.