Pilophorus acicularis

Pilophorus acicularis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Cladoniaceae
Genus: Pilophorus
Species:
P. acicularis
Binomial name
Pilophorus acicularis
(Ach.) Th. Fr. (1857)
Synonyms[1]
  • Baeomyces acicularis Ach. (1803)
  • Cenomyces acicularis (Ach.) Ach. (1810)
  • Cladonia acicularis (Ach.) Fr. (1831)
  • Stereocaulon aciculare (Ach.) Tuck. (1845)
  • Pilophoron aciculare (Ach.) Nyl. (1857)

Pilophorus acicularis, commonly known as the nail lichen or the devil's matchstick lichen,[2] is a species of matchstick lichen in the family Cladoniaceae.

P. aciculare has both crustose (crust-like) and fruticose thallus (shrub-like) body parts.[3] The lichen starts out as a granular crust on the rock surface, and develops fruticose stalks, or pseudopodetia, up to 3 cm (1.2 in) tall and about 1 mm thick that have rounded black apothecia at the tips. The stalks are erect and curved so as to appear combed. It grows directly on silicate rocks in dense clusters. It is found on the west coast of North America up to Alaska, and in eastern Eurasia. In addition to green algae, the lichen contains cyanobacteria that help contribute to soil fertility by supplying fixed nitrogen.

It was originally described in 1803, and transferred to the genus Pilophorus in 1857.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference urlMycoBank: Baeomyces acicularis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada". National General Status Working Group. 2020.
  3. ^ "Pilophorus acicularis, University of British Columbia Botanical Garden". Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2014-10-15.