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dictyonema lichen
Scientific Name: Dictyonema
Family: Corticiaceae
Category: Lichen
Growth:
Duration:
Other Names:
Dictyonema Lichen
Dictyonema is a large and diverse genus of mainly tropical basidiolichens. It's an unusual genus, especially among lichens, because unlike most lichens where the fungal component is an Ascomycete, in Dictyonema it's a basidiomycete. The species generally produce easily visible thalli (the vegetative body of a lichen).
Considerations for Pets
- Some Dictyonema species, such as Dictyonema huaorani, are reported to have psychedelic effects, although further research is needed to confirm this.
Scientific Classification
- Genus: Dictyonema
- Family: Not explicitly mentioned in text but often placed with Cora in the Hygrophoraceae family (Agaricales order).
- Kingdom: Fungi (implied, as a lichen with a fungal component)
- Taxonomic Rank: Genus
Synonyms and Alternative Names
- Dictyonema glabratum (Spreng.) D. Hawksw. is also known as Cora pavonica.
- Synonym for Dictyonema glabratum: = Dictyonema pavonium (Sw.) Parmasto
Distribution and Habitat
- Mainly tropical regions.
- Specific locations mentioned include Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Brazil (Caraa, Minas Gerais), and the Greater Sonoran Desert.
- One species was discovered in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest.
- Dictyonema interruptum has been recorded in the Pyrenees and Madeira.
Ecological Role
- Dictyonema glabratum increases soil fertility in threatened ecosystems by converting atmospheric nitrogen.
Morphological Characteristics
- The thalli of Dictyonema species are generally easily visible.
- Dictyonema applanatum is characterized by an appressed thallus and structures on the underside that resemble hapteres.
- Dictyonema schenkianum has an appressed-filamentous lichen thallus.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- Dictyonema is a symbiosis between a basidiomycete fungi and a scytonematoid cyanobacteria.
- The fungal and photobiont components of the lichen benefit from the symbiosis.
Quirky Facts
- Dictyonema huaorani, discovered in Ecuador, is reported to have psychedelic effects, which were first reported by indigenous people.
- Until about ten years ago, Dictyonema glabratum was thought to be a single species, but is now understood to encompass hundreds of unrecognized species.
Resources and Further Information
- Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert (Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F. (eds.) 2001)
- The Bryologist (Journal where new findings on psychedelic lichen research were published)