Xanthoparmelia plittii
Plitt’s rock shield
I don’t know who Plitt is. Odds are, a lichenologist or naturalist, but one beloved enough to have a lichen named in their honor. Or someone with the guts to just straight up name a lichen after theirself. Either way, I admire them, and admire the beautiful X. plittii to boot. This foliose lichen has long, narrow, irregularly-shaped lobes that grow in rounded rosettes which can be up to 10 cm in diameter. The center of the yellow-green rosettes are covered in dense brown isidia, and the underside is pale to dark brown with pale brown rhizines. Apothecia are rare. They are slightly raised from the surface, and have a thin, smooth margin and brown disc. X. plittii grows on acidic rock in forested, intermediate elevations in North America, South America, and southern Africa.
Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/663691592975187968.
