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Gnome's Fingers

Pycnothelia papillaria

Photo by lenrely
Published on Project Noah
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35.9662, -81.1194

Field Notes

Description:

An unusual lichen growing with many Cladonia species. No other examples found in the park.

Habitat:

Granitic habitat, a gravel quarry with boulder fields and a seasonal wetland that is now dry. This small mountain is home to several endemic plants.

Reference Links:

Nipple Lichen (Pycnothelia papillaria) · iNaturalist

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (4)
Machi
I'm glad it sounds like you did not give into that temptation - most lichens won't survive transplantation because they have very specific environmental needs. Speaking of which, I'd love to nominate this observation for spotting of the week! If you could describe that habitat where you found it in the habitat field and add some observations about it in the description, I think this would make a good candidate for SOTW!
lenrely
Thank you! It's very small. I'm moving and for a moment I was tempted to bring it with me.
Machi
Wow! Cool lichen. I've never heard of this one. I would have guessed it was just a strange Cladonia! Nice to learn about a new lichen species.
Photographed
PublishedNovember 30, 2021

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