Lichen Handbook, a guide to the Lichens of Eastern North America by M. Hale
Lichens of California by M. Cole
I recently read these two books and took notes of interest as well as snapped photos of relevant information from the first one (anatomy, chemistry, chemical composition, chemical identification, strain variables, pictures of chemical crystals located in the zip file, pm me if interested). Here are some notes from the Lichen Handbook.
- The color of lichen is dictated by the algae the lichen is in symbiosis with. Most species have one, but some have two.
- Lichen contain 1/10 to 1/4 the amount of chlorophyll of normal plants, which could explain their slow growth rates. They have been shown to grow within the .01 to 10mm range per year, for example:
Rhizocarpon Grande grows on average .33cm per year, while
Parmelia Rudecta can grow on average of 4cm per year.
- Foliose lichens may reach diameters of 1-3 feet. Rock tripes in the Great Smoky Mountains have been found to be 3 feet in diameter. Fruticose lichen may reach 6 feet in length. The average mature species is estimated to be 100-200 years old.
- Lichen can be liquid cultured.
- The algae itself can be removed from the lichen and cultured.
First, the external parts of the lichen should be thoroughly washed to remove epiphytic free living algae on the surface. The upper cortex is then sliced away with a razor blade until algae is exposed. Bits of algae with attached hyphae are transferred to a microslide and macerated with a drop of water. Alternate drying and wetting of slide in brighht light and it will colonize in a few weeks. Sterile agar also works, and its been shown to grow faster with glucose and amino acids but they are not needed.
- The fungal component of the lichen can be removed and cultured as well the same way any other fungus would be, although this would be done by removing the white hyphae from the medulla. If there are bits of algae present it has been shown that the fungus will overtake it so it shouldn't bee too problematic.
- Reinke and De Bary introduced the idea that the algae and fungus derived mutual benefit from their association, the algae gaining improved water relations, the fungus being provided food by dead or living algal cells. They called this relationship symbiosis or consortism.
CHEMISTRY
- The cell walls consist mostly of lichen starch lichonin (iodine negative) or more rarely isolichenin (iodine + blue) and hemicelluloses. Poly-hydric alcohols are common, and the oligasacharides, some unique to lichens, demonstrated widely separated genera.
- Fatty substances are abundant in most lichens as oil in the medulla. Other cell constituents include ~16 free amino acids, growth substances, vitamins, and various mineral elements, some in high concentrations, as well as other common products found in fungal material, as well as the same for free living algae.
- Species of lichen have chemical strains. Meaning, one species of lichen can have a different chemical profile depending on a number of factors. There are 40 to 50 known lichen that have different strains.
Notes from Lichens of California
- TLC
Extract thallus with acetone.
Spot TLC, place in tank w/ toulene + aioxane + acetic acid or w/ hexane + ether + formic acid.
After solvent rises 10cm, plate is removed, dried, sprayed with 10% solution sulfuric acid and heated to 100 degrees celcius for five minutes.
- Vulpinic acid, which is a yellow pigment found in Wolf Moss, is a mild poison. It is the only poison found so far in the entire lichen kingdom.
All other lichen are edible and non toxic.
Vulpinic acid was used in Europe to add in bait to sicken wolves.
- Tribes in British Columbia processed Brygria into small cakes, and rock tripes are a delicacy in Japan.
- In the middle ages, using lichen for dye was a trade secret done by soaking them in urine for the ammonia for a few days and then evaporating to make a pigment.
- The hair growing on the underside of the lichen that we were trying to figure out some months ago is called Cilia. Both of these books have helpful indexes and definitions of words used to identify and describe lichen and I would recommend them both for this reason alone, probably Lichens of California as it's newer than the Lichen Handbook. There is a book called Lichens of North America that I still need to get which will hopefully make identification a lot easier. There are easily a thousand lichen in California alone.