Kingdom Fungi Class Lecanoromycetes Family Parmeliaceae Rank Species | Division Ascomycota Order Lecanorales Genus Xanthoparmelia | |
Similar Xanthoparmelia tinctina, Xanthoparmelia conspersa, Xanthoparmelia, Parmeliaceae, Foliose lichen | ||
Xanthoparmelia maricopensis (Maricopa rock-shield) is a 2-6mm wide, yellow-green foliose lichen in the Parmeliaceae family found growing on igneous rock in southwestern North American deserts. The thallus is tightly adnate to the substrate, with irregular somewhat shiny 1-2 mm lobes. It differs from Xanthoparmelis dierythra in that it has hyposalazinic acid and the lobes are usually more narrow and more convex. The lower surface is tan and has unbranched rhizenes.
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Habitat and range
It is common in lower elevations of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, southern California, and north and south Baja California to Chihuahua, Mexico and Sonora Mexico. In Joshua Tree National Park it grows on non-calcareous rock, soil, basalt, gneiss, and monzogranite.
Metabolites
The upper cortex is K-, C-, KC-, and P-. The medulla is K+ yellow to orange, C-, KC-, P+ orange. The upper cortex has usnic acid as a secondary metabolite. The medulla has norstictic acid and traces of hyposalazinic acid and connorstictic acid.