200 



33. LECIDEACEAE [ 119. Lecidea 



small, 0.2-0.4 mm. across, immersed to adnate, often clustered, the disk fiat to 

 convex, brown to brownish black, the exciple thin, raised and lighter colored to 

 black, disappearing; hypothecium brown; spores oblong-ellipsoid, 8-15 X 4-8 fx. 

 On earth and old wood, widely distributed throughout the United States. 



37. Lecidea parvifolia Pers., in Gaudich., Bot. Voy. Uram. 192. 1826. 



Biatora parvifolia (Pers.) Tuck. Biatora parvifolia var. corallina Tuck. Biatora 

 parvifolia var. subgranulosa Tuck. L. santensis Tuck. 



Thallus squamulose, sometimes subgranulose, the squamules small, thin, ascend- 

 ing, crenate, becoming palmately or pinnately many-lobed, passing more or less com- 

 pletely into irregular coralloid branchlets, greenish gray or whitish to reddish brown 

 or brown, hypothallus whitish through reddish to black; apothecia middle-sized to 

 large, 0.6-1.4 mm. across, irregular, proliferous, the disk flat to strongly convex, 

 yellowish brown to brown or blackish, the exciple of same color or paler, thick, 

 finally disappearing; hypothecium brown; spores ellipsoid, becoming oblong, 7-15 

 X 2-4 ix. 



On trees, from New Jersey to Florida, and westward to California. 



38. Lecidea myriocarpella (Merrill) Zahlbr., Cat. Lich. Univ. 3:803. 1925. 

 Biatora myriocarpella Merrill, Bryologist 16:58. 1913. 



Thallus very thin and inconspicuous or disappearing; apothecia minute, 0.1-0.25 

 mm. across, very numerous, adnate, the disk flat to strongly convex, dark brown to 

 dull black, the exciple very thin, dull black, soon disappearing; hypothecium hya- 

 line; spores ellipsoid or ellipsoid-oblong, rarely 1-septate, 7-8.5 X 3-4 /x. 



On old wood, Washington. 



39. Lecidea melancheima Tuck., Syn. Lich. N. E. 68. 1848. 

 L. elabens T. Fries. 



Thallus thick, rough, wrinkled and warty, rarely subareolate, greenish gray to 

 ashy, usually irregularly spread over the substratum, at first as a continuous crust, 

 becoming scattered and finally disappearing; apothecia small to middle-sized, 0.25- 

 1.25 mm. across, adnate, frequently clustered and irregular, the disk flat to convex, 

 black, frequently shining, the exciple disappearing; hypothecium hyaline; spores 

 oblong-ellipsoid, 7-13 X 3-4.5 fx. (Plate 14.) 



On old wood, New England, Iowa, Colorado, and Minnesota. 



40. Lecidea plana (Lahm) Nyl., Flora 55:552. 1872. 

 Lecidella plana Lahm, in Koerb., Par. Lich. 211-213. 1865. 



Thallus thin, chinky-areolate, gray, often disappearing, hypothallus black; 

 apothecia small to middle-sized, 0.4-1 mm. across, adnate, often crowded and vari- 

 ously irregular, the disk concave to flat, black, the exciple paler, thin, raised; 

 hypothecium hyaline; spores long-ellipsoid, 10-13 X 2.5-4 {x. 



On rocks, Nevada and southern California. 



41. Lecidea Brandegei Tuck., Bull. Torr. Club 10:21. 1883. 



Thallus composed of minute, convex, round to irregular, greenish gray to dirty 

 yellowish areoles, running together into a rather thick, wrinkled crust; apothecia 

 middle-sized to large, 0.6-1.6 mm. across, adnate, the disk flat to slightly convex, 

 dull black, the exciple thin, becoming black and wavy, then disappearing; hypo- 

 thecium hyaline; spores ovoid-ellipsoid, 6-11 X 4-6 /a. 



On rocks, Arizona and Colorado, and doubtfully in California. 



42. Lecidea fuscescens Sommerf., Vet. Akad. Handl. 1823:114. 1823. 

 Biatora fuscescens (Sommerf.) E. Fries. 



Thallus of minute, whitish, scattered granules, and a more or less apparent 

 black hypothallus; apothecia minute to small, 0.3-0.6 mm. across, adnate to 

 sessile, the disk flat to slightly convex, brown to black, the exciple thin, dark, 



