Plant Guide > Mosses and Lichens > Lichens > Genus Parmelia > Wrinkled Parmelia Lichen

Wrinkled Parmelia Lichen

The Wrinkled Parmelia, Parmelia caperata, (L.) Ach.

Habit and habitat.-Grows on trees and rocks to form light pea-green, wrinkled and wavy mats.

Vegetative organs (thallus). - Leaf-like, appressed, horizontal, cartilaginous; lobes usually broad and rounded with entire margins; the upper surface usually covered with a very light green powder (soredia) ; the under surface, black with a reddish-brown margin and scattered thread-like bodies (fibrils).

Fruiting organs (apothecia). - Cup-shaped, with wavy
margins often grainy (sorediferous).

Spores.-Ellipsoid.

Name.-The specific name caperata, the Latin for "wrinkled," describes the habit of growth.