Umbilicaria phaea
| Umbilicaria phaea | |
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| Species: | U. phaea
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| Umbilicaria phaea | |
Umbilicaria phaea is a brown, umblicate foliose lichen that grows up to 6 cm in diameter, sometimes in colonies covering large patches of desert rocks.[1]: 127 [2] One variety that grows in northern California is brilliant red.[1] It is (monophyllous) with a single 1 - 5 cm flattish leaf-like cap on top of an anchoring stem(umblicate).[2] The leaflike top is smooth with some lobes, roughly circular, thin, and brittle.[2] The lower surface is light gray to light brown.[2] It has up to 2.5 mm black circular to slightly polygonal spots that are the fruiting bodies (apothecia), slightly sunken into the main nonfruiting body part (thallus).[2] It grows on siliceous boulders in very dry climates of western North and South America, where it is usually the most common member of its genus.[2]