Plant Guide > Mosses and Lichens > Lichens > Genus Sticta

Genus Sticta

Genus STICTA (Schreb.) Fr.

The thallus is leaf-like, variously lobed but with the lobes usually wide, rounded, or elongated. The under surface is sometimes smooth but is commonly covered with short, soft hairs (villous), and dotted with little cups or rounded heaps (cyphels). A cross-section of this lichen shows that the irregular, coloured zone (gonimous layer) is composed of either green cells (gonidia) or bluish-green cells (gonimia).

The fruiting organs (apothecia) are shield-like (scutellaeform), elevated, and near the margin of the thallus.

The generic name Sticta from the Greek; dappled, refers to the strikingly spotted appearance of some species.

The spores are spindle or needle-shaped with 2 to 4 crosswalls; they are reddish or colourless; they vary but slightly in the different species.

Sticta Amplissima Lichen
Sticta Pulmonaria Lichen