Key to Group II
Epiphytic crustose lichens without soredia, isidia, or schizidia
Synopsis
| 1a. | Thallus containing cyanobacteria in place of green algae, having a gelatinous texture when wet; spores septate; upper hymenial pigments persisting and unchanged in K …2 (Arctomia delicatula, Collema aphanes ined.) |
| 1b. | Thallus containing green algae, usually without a gelatinous texture; spores various; pigments in the upper hymenium usually clearing and/or changed in colour in K …3 |
| 3a. | Spore-bearing body a gilled mushroom; thallus formed of dark green granules with a cortex of a single layer of very thin-walled cells, the walls so thin as to have no or very little discernible thickness between the cell lumina; common on rotten logs …Lichenomphalia |
| 3b. | Spore-bearing body various, but not at all mushroom-like; thallus various, but any cortex formed of multiple layers of cells and/or cells having discernibly thick walls; habitat various …4 |
| 4b. | Spores up to 8 per ascus …16 |
| 16b. | Spore-bearing body an apothecium, disc-shaped, hemispherical or concave, the fertile tissues exposed …25 |
| 25b. | Spores colourless at maturity …30 |
| 30b. | Spores simple or with only width-wise septae …37 |
| 37a. | Spores with walls unevenly thickened, the lumen angular, outline not parallel with the outline of the outer wall …Caloplaca |
| 37b. | Spores with walls evenly thickened, the lumen outline parallel with the outline of the outer wall or, if not parallel, then the lumina oval, not angular …38 |
| 38b. | Apothecia other colours, if yellowish, then dull tan-yellow, greenish yellow or orangish yellow …41 |
| 41a. | Spores 200 µ long or longer, with walls about 25 µ thick, the single crosswall often breaking; apothecial disc formed of loosely cottony hyphae, the asci visible with a hand lens as pinkish dots; thallus C+ deep red …Varicellaria |
| 41b. | Spores less than 200 µ long, usually much shorter, with much thinner walls, any septae usually remaining intact; apothecial disc usually formed of gelatinized hyphae, the asci not visible with a hand lens (except in some Pertusaria species, which have non-septate spores); thallus C- or C+ …42 |
| 42b. | Apothecia round or lumpy, without a distinct long axis …47 |
| 47a. | Apothecia deep pure red or orange-red; upper hymenium abundantly granular, the granules K+ bleeding purple or blue …48 (Ophioparma, Ramboldia) |
| 47b. | Apothecia various colours, but not deep pure red or orange-red; upper hymenium granular or not, any granules K- or K+ dull colours or, if K+ purple, then the granules originally brown …49 |
| 49a. | Spores septate, or most simple but at least some in an apothecial section with one or more septae …50 (Absconditella, Anzina, Arthonia, Bacidia, “Bacidia” beckhausii, Bacidina, Bactrospora, Biatora, Bilimbia, Bryonora, Catillaria s. lat., Catinaria, Cliostomum, Coenogonium, Gyalideopsis, Halecania, Icmadophila, Lecanactis, Lecania, “Megalaria”, Micarea, Mycobilimbia s. str., Myxobilimbia, Scoliciosporum, Vezdaea) |
| 49b. | Spores always lacking septae …91 |
| 91b. | Apothecial rim lacking a spongy medullary layer, the hyphae or cells conglutinated, not whitish or cottony, the disc and rim often gummy or translucent in appearance, or dark coloured …96 |
| 96b. | Asci thick at the apex, with a well developed tholus …102 (Bryonora, Hertelidea, Japewia, Lecanora, Lecidea, Lecidella, Micarea, Mycoblastus, Myochroidea, Protoparmelia, Pycnora) |
Key to Group II
| 1a. | Thallus containing cyanobacteria in place of green algae, having a gelatinous texture when wet; spores septate; upper hymenial pigments persisting and unchanged in K …2 |
| 2a. | Spores with only width-wise septae, worm-shaped; apothecia dark red-brown, with a thin, receding rim; thallus usually of scattered granules …[Arctomia delicatula] |
| 2b. | Spores with both width-wise and length-wise septae, rounded-rectangular or square; apothecia brown or blackish, with no or only weak reddish tones, with a distinct and persistent rim; thallus usually of dense granules (Note: if peritheciate and with brown spores, see Moriola) …Collema aphanes ined. |
| 1b. | Thallus containing green algae, usually without a gelatinous texture; spores various; pigments in the upper hymenium usually clearing and/or changed in colour in K …3 |
| 3a. | Spore-bearing body a gilled mushroom; thallus formed of dark green granules with a cortex of a single layer of very thin-walled cells, the walls so thin as to have no or very little discernible thickness between the cell lumina; common on rotten logs …Lichenomphalia |
| 3b. | Spore-bearing body various, but not at all mushroom-like; thallus various, but any cortex formed of multiple layers of cells and/or cells having discernibly thick walls; habitat various …4 |
| 4a. | Spores more than 8 per ascus …5 |
| 5a. | Spores brown at maturity …6 |
| 6a. | Spores with septae that are unevenly thickened, the inner and outer wall surfaces not perfectly parallel …Rinodina |
| 6b. | Spores with septae that are evenly thin, the inner and outer wall surfaces perfectly parallel …Buellia polyspora |
| 5b. | Spores colourless at maturity …7 |
| 8a. | Apothecia jet black, lacking algae in the rim; known from nearby portions of BC, to be sought …[Catinaria lignicola ined.] |
| 8b. | Apothecia pinkish grey or pale pinkish brown, the rim containing an algal layer …Lecania fuscella |
| 9a. | Apothecia minute, 0.1-0.2 mm wide, colourless and urn-shaped, or a deep yellow, perithecium-like sphere that opens only by a tiny pore …Thelocarpon |
| 9b. | Apothecia mostly at least 0.2 mm wide, not perithecium-like, colour various …10 |
| 10a. | Apothecia brilliant yellow …11 |
| 11a. | Thallus formed of distinct squamules, though these often disintegrate into soredia …Candelaria |
| 11b. | Thallus crustose, though sometimes with a few minute squamules …Candelariella |
| 10b. | Apothecia colour various, but not brilliant yellow, if yellowish, then yellow-tan …12 |
| 12a. | Spores elliptical to oblong …13 |
| 13a. | Apothecial disc flat to convex, sunken in the thallus, without a distinct rim, at least when young …Acarospora |
| 13b. | Apothecial disc either convex, or with a distinct rim from early in development, not sunken in the thallus …Lecidea betulicola group |
| 14a. | Growing on conifer resin; thallus non-algal …Sarea |
| 14b. | Growing on bark or wood, never on resin; thallus containing algae …15 |
| 15a. | Apothecia either pale and unpigmented, or with orange, red or red-brown pigments and often containing crystals; asci staining in IKI with one or two dark blue caps, lacking any axial mass …Strangospora |
| 15b. | Apothecia with blue, green or brown pigments, lacking crystals; asci staining in IKI with a paler axial mass, lacking dark blue caps; common and widespread …“Strangospora” |
| 4b. | Spores up to 8 per ascus …16 |
| 16a. | Spore-bearing body spherical perithecia or perithecium-like apothecia, the fertile tissues enclosed in a chamber that opens only by a tiny pore …17 |
| 17a. | Thallus obscure, dark brown or black, incorporating various algae and cyanobacteria, growing among bryophytes on decaying logs; perithecia jet black …Moriola |
| 17b. | Thallus well formed and containing a single green algal species, or obscure lacking algae, growing on bark or, if on logs, then perithecia yellowish tan …18 |
| 18a. | Perithecial wall blue-green; thallus lacking algae, growing on smooth acidic bark …Mycoglaena |
| 18b. | Perithecial wall lacking blue or green tones; thallus and habitat various …19 |
| 19a. | Spores (sub)muriform, with both width-wise and length-wise septae …20 |
| 20a. | Perithecia yellowish tan; thallus surficial, granular, pale bluish green, growing among moss …Psoroglaena |
| 20b. | Perithecia black; thallus immersed in wood, producing a greenish stain …Protothelenella |
| 19b. | Spores simple or with only width-wise septae …21 |
| 21a. | Thallus well developed, with an easily observed layer of trebouxioid algae; spores simple, elliptic or egg-shaped, with rounded ends …Verrucaria |
| 21b. | Thallus poorly developed and thin or immersed, lacking algae, or with a thin layer of trentepohlioid algae; spores septate, often with one or both ends (bluntly) pointed …22 |
| 22a. | Spores acicular, several times longer than wide; perithecia flat; growing on bark of Betula trunks …Leptorhaphis |
| 22b. | Spores elliptic, egg-shaped, or foot-print shaped, not more than 2 times long as wide; perithecia dome-shaped; not growing on Betula trunks …23 |
| 23a. | Spores minutely warty when overmature; growing on rough bark of Populus trichocarpa trunks …“Mycomicrothelia” |
| 23b. | Spores smooth at maturity and overmaturity; habitat various …24 |
| 24a. | Thallus containing Trentepohlioid algae; spores brown at maturity; known only from decaying polypore fungi …Eopyrenula |
| 24b. | Thallus lacking algae; spores colourless at maturity; growing on bark …Arthopyrenia |
| 16b. | Spore-bearing body an apothecium, disc-shaped, hemispherical or concave, the fertile tissues exposed …25 |
| 25a. | Spores brown at maturity …26 |
| 26a. | Apothecia mazaediate, the asci disintegrating prior to spore maturity, the spores amassing atop the apothecia and coming off in smudges when touched …27 |
| 27a. | Thallus producing black isidia, growing on wood enriched by bird droppings; apothecial rim immersed in thalline warts …Thelomma |
| 27b. | Thallus lacking isidia, growing mostly on non-enriched wood; apothecial rim exposed above the thalline warts …Cyphelium |
| 26b. | Apothecia not mazaediate, the spores maturing within the ascus, not amassing atop the apothecia, not smudging …28 |
| 28a. | Spores 1 per ascus, muriform (having both width-wise and length-wise septae) and with uniformly thin walls; apothecia oblong or elliptic; thallus immersed; known from various sites in inland BC, to be sought …[Xyloschistes platytropa] |
| 28b. | Spores numerous per ascus, not muriform or, if so, then the walls thickened; apothecia round in outline …29 |
| 29a. | Apothecia with an algal rim having a colour and texture distinct from that of the disc …Rinodina |
| 29b. | Apothecia lacking an algal layer, having the same colour and texture as the disc …Buellia |
| 25b. | Spores colourless at maturity …30 |
| 30a. | Spores (sub)muriform, having both transverse and longitudinal septae …31 |
| 31a. | Spores asymmetrical, the broadest point off-centre; apothecia lacking any distinct rim; asci broadly rounded, balloon-shaped …Arthonia |
| 31b. | Spores symmetrical, broadest at the middle; apothecia with a distinct rim; asci club-shaped …32 |
| 32a. | Apothecial disc covered with rust-coloured granules, these K+ purplish red …Brigantiaea |
| 32b. | Apothecial disc lacking K+ granules …33 |
| 33a. | Apothecia with a thick black rim that is constricted at the base; thallus olive green …Lopadium |
| 33b. | Apothecia with a whitish or reddish-brown rim, or rim black but inconspicuous and not constricted to the base; thallus various, but not olive green …34 |
| 34a. | Apothecia red-brown or dark brown, appearing translucent; spores constricted at the septae …Gyalideopsis |
| 34b. | Apothecia whitish or black, lacking reddish pigments; opaque, not translucent; spores not constricted at the septae …35 |
| 35a. | Thallus scurfy, white or pale blue-green; apothecial disc formed of loosely cottony hyphae; common and widespread …Phlyctis |
| 35b. | Thallus waxy or immersed, not scurfy, creamy whitish; apothecial disc formed of gelatinized hyphae; rare …36 |
| 36a. | Spores 8 per ascus; apothecia with a segmented, whitish inner rim, this housed in a barnacle-shaped thalline wart …Thelotrema |
| 36b. | Spores 1 per ascus; apothecia with a segmented, blackish rim, immersed between wood or bark grains, not in a thalline wart …Xerotrema |
| 30b. | Spores simple or with only width-wise septae …37 |
| 37a. | Spores with walls unevenly thickened, the lumen angular, outline not parallel with the outline of the outer wall …Caloplaca |
| 37b. | Spores with walls evenly thickened, the lumen outline parallel with the outline of the outer wall or, if not parallel, then the lumina oval, not angular …38 |
| 38a. | Apothecia dull yellow or bright canary-yellow, containing vulpinic acid and derivatives or rhizocarpic acid …39 |
| 39a. | Apothecia matte, dull yellow; thallus containing rhizocarpic acid (epiphytic individuals are probably never fertile), UV+ orange …Psilolechia |
| 39b. | Apothecia waxy, canary-yellow; thallus containing vulpinic acid derivatives, UV- …40 |
| 38b. | Apothecia other colours, if yellowish, then dull tan-yellow, greenish yellow or orangish yellow …41 |
| 41a. | Spores 200 µ long or longer, with walls about 25 µ thick, the single crosswall often breaking; apothecial disc formed of loosely cottony hyphae, the asci visible with a hand lens as pinkish dots; thallus C+ deep red …Varicellaria |
| 41b. | Spores less than 200 µ long, usually much shorter, with much thinner walls, any septae usually remaining intact; apothecial disc usually formed of gelatinized hyphae, the asci not visible with a hand lens (except in some Pertusaria species, which have non-septate spores); thallus C- or C+ …42 |
| 42a. | Apothecia lirelloid, having a distinct long axis, often snaking or branching …43 |
| 43b. | Spores septate; uncommon or rare …44 |
| 44a. | Asci broadly rounded, balloon-shaped or light bulb-shaped; apothecia lacking any distinct rim (except in A. excipienda) …Arthonia |
| 44b. | Asci club-shaped; apothecia with a distinct, well-developed rim …45 |
| 45a. | Spores brownish at maturity, 1-septate; thallus containing a trebouxioid alga …Melaspilea |
| 45b. | Spores colourless at maturity, pluriseptate; thallus containing a trentepohlioid alga …46 |
| 46a. | Spores IKI+ purple, with oval lumina at maturity; thallus waxy …Graphis |
| 46b. | Spores IKI-, with blocky lumina at maturity; thallus matte …Opegrapha |
| 42b. | Apothecia round or lumpy, without a distinct long axis …47 |
| 47a. | Apothecia deep pure red or orange-red; upper hymenium abundantly granular, the granules K+ bleeding purple or blue …48 |
| 48b. | Apothecia waxy or glossy; thallus white, pale blue-green, grey or olive green, lacking distinct yellowish tones …Ramboldia (in part) |
| 47b. | Apothecia various colours, but not deep pure red or orange-red; upper hymenium granular or not, any granules K- or K+ dull colours or, if K+ purple, then the granules originally brown …49 |
| 49a. | Spores septate, or most simple but at least some in an apothecial section with one or more septae …50 |
| 50a. | Apothecia pure pastel pink when dry; thallus pastel green; upper hymenium densely granular; forming extensive patches over bryophytes and decaying bark and wood on logs …Icmadophila |
| 50b. | Apothecia not pastel pink, if pinkish then thallus colour and habit various; if apothecia pink and thallus growing over bryophytes, then the apothecia are tan-pink or whitish and upper hymenium is not granular …51 |
| 51a. | Apothecia with a distinct algal rim visible at least in cross-section …52 |
| 52b. | Spores not more than 3 times long as wide …53 |
| 53a. | Apothecia medium to dark brown, with a persistent, often glossy rim; disc with a bluish or whitish pruina …Bryonora |
| 53b. | Apothecia with a thin, inconspicuous, matte rim or the apothecia colour pale; disc lacking a bluish or whitish pruina …54 |
| 54a. | Apothecia 0.15-0.25 mm wide; growing at upper forested elevations; asci IKI- or IKI+ pale blue, lacking any axial mass …Anzina |
| 54b. | Apothecia mostly at least 0.25 mm wide; growing at lower elevations; asci IKI+ deep blue with a paler axial mass …Lecania |
| 51b. | Apothecial rim lacking algae …55 |
| 55a. | Thallus containing trentepohlioid algae …56 |
| 56a. | Apothecia concave, lacking pruina, unpigmented, translucent when wet; thallus dark green; spores oblong, about 2 times long as wide …Coenogonium |
| 56b. | Apothecia convex or shallowly concave, black or whitish due to pruina, remaining opaque when wet; thallus whitish; spores worm-shaped, many times longer than wide …57 |
| 57a. | Apothecial rim thin and quickly receding, the disc becoming domed; asci easily breaking off at the base …Bactrospora |
| 57b. | Apothecial rim prominent and persistent, the disc remaining more or less flat; asci usually remaining attached to the subhymenium …Lecanactis |
| 55b. | Thallus containing trebouxioid algae …58 |
| 58a. | Spores with a thick gelatinous perispore; thallus (and often also the apothecial rim) sorediate, bright fresh green …Halecania |
| 58b. | Spores lacking a perispore; thallus various …59 |
| 59a. | Spores 1-septate (rarely with 3 septae) …60 |
| 60a. | Asci balloon-shaped, distinctly widening to near the apex, IKI- or IKI+ pale blue or blue-gray; apothecia usually without a distinct rim …Arthonia |
| 60b. | Asci club-shaped, not much wider near the apex than at the middle, IKI+ deep blue …61 |
| 61a. | Hymenium streaky dark brown, K+ red or purple; apothecia jet black; spores lemon-shaped, consistently 1-septate …“Megalaria” |
| 61b. | Hymenium not streaky or, if so, then K- or K+ dull colours; apothecia not jet black (except in Biatora globulosa, which otherwise disagrees with 61a); spores oblong or elliptic …62 |
| 62a. | Upper hymenium densely granular; spores consistently septate; apothecia either yellow-orange or mottled pink and grey; hypothecial hyphae tending to be vertically oriented …Cliostomum |
| 62b. | Upper hymenium lacking granules; spores either consistently septate or mixed with non-septate spores; apothecia usually of other colours; hypothecial hyphae not tending to be vertically oriented …63 |
| 63a. | Spores consistently 1-septate …64 |
| 64a. | Growing over mosses and adjacent decaying bark/wood; apothecia glossy, as if polished; spores without discernible thickness between the inner and outer wall surfaces as seen at 1000 x …Myxobilimbia pilularis |
| 64b. | Growing over bark, wood or decaying polypore fungi, not on moss; apothecia not glossy as if polished; spores with a discernible thickness between the inner and outer wall surfaces …65 |
| 63b. | Non-septate spores intermixed with 1-septate spores …66 |
| 66a. | (Upper) hymenium or hypothecium (or both) with a distinct pigment layer …67 |
| 67a. | Apothecial rim lacking, even when young …Micarea |
| 67b. | Apothecial rim present, at least when young …68 |
| 68b. | Hypothecium not at all darker than the hymenium; crust usually inconspicuous …69 |
| 69b. | Spores at least 2.8 µ wide; apothecia brown to blackish, but not jet black …70 |
| 70b. | Spores narrower and mostly shorter …71 |
| 71a. | Pigment layer limited to the upper hymenium, never with bluish pigments; spores 7-12 × 2.8-3.2 µ …Lecidea improba ined. |
| 71b. | Pigments in streaks throughout the hymenium, usually including bluish pigments; spores 8-14 × 3-4 µ …Biatora hypophaea |
| 66b. | Hymenium and hypothecium lacking any distinct pigment layer …72 |
| 72a. | Apothecial rim lacking, even when young; paraphyses gnarled and often branched …Micarea prasina |
| 72b. | Apothecial rim well developed, at least when young …73 |
| 73b. | Spores at least 2.5 µ wide; apothecia mostly tan or reddish brown, not whitish …Biatora |
| 59b. | Spores consistently pluriseptate (2 or more septae) …74 |
| 74a. | Paraphyses not imbedded in gel, free in water …Vezdaea |
| 74b. | Paraphyses imbedded in gel, adherent in water …75 |
| 75a. | Apothecia without any exciple or excipuloid material as seen in cross section, apparently fertile to the margins …76 |
| 76a. | Spores with at least a slight helical twist, usually coiled around each other in the ascus; apothecia hemispherical …Scoliciosporum |
| 76b. | Spores without any twist, parallel-sided in the ascus; apothecia flat, mounded, or spherical, rarely hemispherical …77 |
| 77a. | Asci narrowly club-shaped, with an IKI+ blue tholus penetrated by a darker blue tube …Micarea |
| 77b. | Asci broadly club-shaped or balloon-shaped, with an IKI- tholus, or the tholus IKI+ pale to pale blue and with a darker blue ring structure …Arthonia |
| 75b. | Apothecia with an obvious exciple, at least when young …78 |
| 78a. | Asci thin-walled, lacking any tholar thickening …79 |
| 79a. | Paraphyses simple or a few branched; apothecia 0.1-0.25 mm wide, whitish …Absconditella |
| 79b. | Paraphyses distinctly branched and anastomosed apothecia 0.4-1.2 mm wide dark reddish brown …Gyalideopsis |
| 78b. | Asci with a distinct tholus at the apex …80 |
| 80a. | Spores acicular, more than 10 × long as wide; apothecia pale colours or brown to purplish, not blackish …Bacidia and Bacidina |
| 80b. | Spores broader in outline, less than 10 × long as wide; if approaching 10 × long as wide, then apothecia blackish …81 |
| 81a. | Ascus walls thick on the sides as well as at the apex, tholus indistinct; gel layer of the upper hymenium and edge of the exciple gradually swelling outward in K until dissolved into solution …Bilimbia |
| 81b. | Ascus walls much thinner on the sides than at the apex, the tholus distinctly differentiated; gel layers not greatly swelling or dissolving …82 |
| 82a. | Upper hymenium with a distinct crystal layer, POL+ …83 |
| 83a. | Upper hymenium C+ pink or red (flash), with fine crystals of consistently small size; spores often with more than 3 septae …84 |
| 83b. | Upper hymenium C-, with large and small crystals intermixed; spores never with more than 3 septae …85 |
| 85b. | Spores at least 3 µ wide; apothecia 0.3-1.0 mm wide …Lecania |
| 82b. | Upper hymenium lacking crystals, POL- …86 |
| 86a. | Apothecial margin indistinct, even when young, appearing fertile to the edges, or with a rim formed of gnarled, branched hyphae that appear like the paraphyses …Micarea |
| 86b. | Apothecial margin distinct, at least when young, with a distinct sterile zone around the edges; excipular hyphae appearing different from the paraphyses …87 |
| 87a. | Spores fusiform, with pointed ends; mostly growing over mosses on the bases of tree trunks close to the ground …Mycobilimbia s. str. |
| 87b. | Spores worm-shaped or elliptical, with rounded ends; habitat various …88 |
| 88b. | Spores variably (0‑) 3-9 septate; apothecium colour various, but not reddish orange; habitat various …89 |
| 89a. | About half of the spores seen in an apothecial section lacking septae, the others 3-6 septate; apothecia pale brown; growing over mosses on trunks near ground …Myxobilimbia vermiformis |
| 89b. | All spores pluriseptate; apothecia blackish; habitat various, but not growing on mosses …90 |
| 90a. | Apothecia with a well developed rim, at least when young; paraphyses straight and mostly unbranched …Bacidia |
| 90b. | Apothecia with a poorly developed rim, or rim absent, even when young; paraphyses gnarled, often branched …Micarea |
| 49b. | Spores always lacking septae …91 |
| 91a. | Apothecial rim with a distinct medullary layer of whitish, cottony hyphae that give an opaque, whitish appearance …92 |
| 92a. | Upper hymenium olive-brown, K+ greenish; paraphyses moniliform (like a string of beads) in upper portions …93 |
| 93a. | Spores with walls over 2 µ thick; apothecia usually raised in warts …Megaspora |
| 93b. | Spores with walls well under 2 µ thick; apothecia not raised in warts …Aspicilia |
| 92b. | Upper hymenium lacking olive-brown tones, if brownish, then not K+ greenish; paraphyses not moniliform …94 |
| 94a. | Spores up to 15 (‑20) µ long; paraphyses at least 1.5 µ thick; hymenium mostly less than 60 µ high …Lecanora |
| 94b. | Spores more (18‑) 20 µ long or longer; paraphyses about 1 µ thick; hymenium mostly more than 100 µ high …95 |
| 95a. | Apothecial rim thick and distinctly constricted at the base, bagel-like in appearance; disc usually pink, orange or yellowish, often covered in a hard frosting of pruina; spores always thin-walled; C+ pink or red on the thallus or apothecial rim, the disc C+ yellow, pink or red …Ochrolechia |
| 95b. | Apothecial rim thin or, if thick, then scarcely constricted at the base, not bagel-like in appearance; disc grey, whitish, or pinkish, if pruinose, then the pruina are fluffy, not hard; spores usually distinctly thick-walled; C- in all parts …Pertusaria |
| 91b. | Apothecial rim lacking a spongy medullary layer, the hyphae or cells conglutinated, not whitish or cottony, the disc and rim often gummy or translucent in appearance, or dark coloured …96 |
| 96a. | Asci thin-walled throughout, without a prominent tholus …97 |
| 97a. | Thallus immersed, lacking algae, appearing as a white stain on hard wood, usually on decorticated branches; apothecial rim poorly developed, even when young …Agyrium |
| 97b. | Thallus obviously surficial and filled with algae, never appearing as a white stain; apothecial rim well developed …98 |
| 98a. | Spores broadly elliptical or ± globose, often thick-walled; asci cylindric, the spores tending to be in one row; paraphyses ± loose …Schaereria |
| 98b. | Spores with narrowly to broadly elliptical, thin-walled; asci club-shaped, the spores tending to be in two rows; paraphyses firmly embedded in gel …99 |
| 99a. | Paraphyses not gnarled, scarcely branched; thallus squamulose; growing above the winter snowpack …Hypocenomyce |
| 99b. | Paraphyses gnarled, much branched; thallus various, sometimes squamulose; growing within the winter snowpack …100 |
| 100a. | Thallus dark brown or blackish, C- or C+ orangish; hymenium medium to dark brown …Placynthiella |
| 100b. | Thallus green, grey, blue-gray or creamy whitish, C+ pink or red (flash); hymenium colourless, pale grey or reddish …101 |
| 101a. | Spores 9-17 µ long; apothecia dark brownish red, appearing gelatinous when wet; thallus deep grass-green …[Trapelia interior] |
| 101b. | Spores 6-15 µ long; apothecia grey, pink, brownish black or grey-black, not appearing gelatinous; thallus never deep grass-green …Trapeliopsis |
| 96b. | Asci thick at the apex, with a well developed tholus …102 |
| 102a. | Spores with walls at least 2 µ thick; apothecia lacking a well developed rim …103 |
| 103a. | Apothecia dark brownish red; spores up to 24 µ long …Japewia |
| 102b. | Spores with walls less than 2 µ thick; apothecia usually with a well developed rim, at least when young …104 |
| 104a. | Apothecia with a distinct algal layer in the rim, reddish brown …105 |
| 105a. | Apothecial disc matte, with at least a light blush of bluish pruina …Bryonora |
| 105b. | Apothecial disc matte or glossy, lacking pruina …106 |
| 106a. | Apothecia matte or appearing greasy; thallus thin, inconspicuous …Lecanora |
| 106b. | Apothecia glossy, as if polished; thallus of conspicuous glossy olive-green areoles …Protoparmelia |
| 104b. | Apothecia lacking algae in the rim, the colour various …107 |
| 107a. | Paraphyses not embedded in gel, adherent only in the pigment layer at the tips, free below that; apothecia black …Lecidella |
| 107b. | Paraphyses embedded in gel throughout; apothecia colour various …108 |
| 108a. | Apothecial rim lacking, even in young apothecia, fertile nearly to the edge, or the rim inconspicuous and formed of hyphae that are gnarled and branched similarly to the paraphyses (see also Lecidea rubrocastanea) …Micarea |
| 108b. | Apothecial rim well developed, at least in young apothecia, formed of hyphae or cells that are very distinct from the paraphyses …109 |
| 109a. | Exciple interior black or dark brown, usually opaque as seen in section …110 |
| 110b. | Hymenium and hypothecium lacking oil; apothecia usually flat at maturity, with a low height to width ratio …Pycnora |
| 109b. | Exciple interior pigmented or not, but not darkly so, never opaque in section …111 |
| 111a. | Hypothecium inverted cone-shaped, plunging downward into the exciple; apothecia usually in tight clusters …Hertelidea |
| 111b. | Hypothecium bowl-shaped, not plunging downward; apothecia usually solitary …112 |
| 112a. | Spores consistently globose …113 |
| 113a. | Thallus immersed to thickly areolate; exciple with abundant, tiny POL+ crystals; apothecia black, with a persistent, often glossy rim, sometimes becoming highly undulate and irregularly shaped; uncommon …Lecidea antiloga |
| 113b. | Thallus of surficial areoles; exciple lacking crystals, POL-; apothecia medium to dark grey-brown, rarely black, round, never undulate; common on acidic bark …Lecanora boligera |
| 112b. | Spores elliptic to oblong, or intermixed with globose spores, but not consistently globose …114 |
| 114b. | Upper hymenium lacking crystals, POL- …115 |
| 115a. | Spores broadly elliptical to globose, 4.5-9 × 6-7 µ; pigments in the rim K+ purple; to be sought …[Lecidea paddensis] |
| 115b. | Spores narrowly to broadly elliptical, if 6-7 µ, then longer than 9 µ; no pigments K+ purple …116 |
| 116b. | Spores at least 3 µ wide; apothecia red-brown …117 |
| 117b. | Apothecia usually more than 0.5 mm wide, with a developed and persistent rim; spores at least 9 µ long …118 |
| 118a. | Thallus thin, lacking distinct areoles or squamules, whitish; apothecia usually distinctly constricted to the base; usually growing on Populus trichocarpa (cottonwood) bark, or on conifers beneath large cottonwoods; spores 9.5-12.5 × 3.8-4.5 µ …Lecidea erythrophaea |
| 118b. | Thallus distinctly thick, with areoles or squamules, green, brown, grey or whitish; apothecia usually not much constricted at the base; not associated with cottonwoods …119 |
| 119a. | Growing at lower elevations in dry forest; thallus deep, dark green or brown-green; spores 9-14 × 4-7 µ …[Lecidea holopolia] |
| 119b. | Growing at upper forested elevations; thallus whitish, greyish, or brown; spores 9.5-15.5 × 4-8 µ …Myochroidea |