| Enchylium polycarpon | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Peltigerales |
| Family: | Collemataceae |
| Genus: | Enchylium |
| Species: | E. polycarpon
|
| Binomial name | |
| Enchylium polycarpon (Hoffm.) Otálora, P.M. Jørg. & Wedin, 2013
| |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
Enchylium polycarpon, commonly known as the shaly jelly lichen, is a species of foliose lichen in the family Collemataceae. Formerly known as Collema polycarpon, it was renamed in 2013 as part of a taxonomic revision. This lichen has a widespread global distribution, occurring in various regions of North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
E. polycarpon thrives in moderately alkaline or calcareous environments and prefers moderate to high levels of direct sunlight, typically growing on calcareous substrates such as limestone and dolomitic rocks in exposed and periodically wet habitats. Its thallus structure is characterized by an expansive, rosette-like cushion with a deeply lobed morphology, lacking a proper cortex.
Reproductively, E. polycarpon exhibits abundant lecanorine apothecia and immersed pycnidia, indicating both sexual and asexual reproductive strategies. Despite its broad global distribution, the conservation status of this lichen varies significantly across different biogeographic regions, with the species considered rare or threatened in some areas.
Taxonomically, E. polycarpon was originally described as Collema polycarpon by Georg Franz Hoffmann in 1796, before being transferred to the genus Enchylium in 2013 by Otálora, P.M. Jørg. & Wedin. Over time, E. polycarpon has been known by various synonymous names in the scientific literature, such as Collema fasciculare var. polycarpon, Collema melaenum var. polycarpon, Collema multifidum var. polycarpon, Collema plicatum var. polycarpon, and the original Collema polycarpon Hoffm.