#opegrapha
Opegrapha vulgata
I would have never thought lichens could be vulgar, but here it is guys–the most vulgar lichen out there. O. vulgata is a script lichen, meaning that it has long, slit-like, lirellate apothecia. Also I hate the word slit. Anyhow, O. vulgata has a smooth, pale gray to tan, green-tinted thallus. Its apothecia are black, but variable in shape–from straight to curving to squiggly to star-like. So how to identify it in comparison with the vast array of other script lichens? By its longer conidia, of course! What’re conidia? Conidia are well, it’s complicated. They are tiny, asexual, spores that serve as the male gametes. So like, sperm! Kinda. Don’t worry too much about. All you gotta know is that O. vulgata’s conidia are really long. Now you know why it’s so vulgar! This lichen grows on smooth tree bark in humid, shaded areas throughout the world.
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