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Bratt's orange lichen
Scientific Name: Caloplaca brattiae
Family: Teloschistaceae
Category: Lichen
Growth: Lichenous
Duration:
Other Names:
Bratt's Orange Lichen (Caloplaca brattiae)
Bratt's Orange Lichen, scientifically known as Caloplaca brattiae, is a fascinating lichen belonging to the Teloschistaceae family. It is also referred to by its common name, Bratt's Orange Lichen.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Caloplaca brattiae W. A. Weber
- Common Name: Bratt's Orange Lichen
- Family: Teloschistaceae
- Group: Lichen
- Symbol: CABR33, CABR43
Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits
- Caloplaca brattiae is a lichenous plant, meaning it grows in a lichen-like form.
- It is characterized by an attractive, bright orange thallus (the main body of the lichen).
- Some descriptions note that some lichens in this family have yellow to orange coloration and can have convex lobes.
- Apothecia (fruiting bodies) can be small and dark orange.
Distribution and Habitat
- This lichen has been found in Tasmania, including locations such as Sloop Rocks near St Helens and South West Tasmania.
- It has also been found at Pt. Conception in mainland Santa Barbara County, California.
- Specimens have been collected from the Upper Ojai Valley at Dennison Park and the Santa Rosa Plateau (Orange County), California.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- Bratt's Orange Lichen and other orange lichens may be a source for anticancer drugs due to a pigment called parietin found within them.
Quirky Facts
- The lichen is named after someone named Bratt. Geoffrey Charles Bratt graduated from the University of Tasmania. Charis C. Bratt is a Research Associate with the Santa Barbara Museum, who collected lichens on Santa Barbara Island and is associated with the Sonoran lichen project.
- The orange pigment found in lichens (like Bratt's Orange Lichen) and rhubarb, called parietin, is being studied for its potential anti-cancer properties.
Resources and Further Information
- References are made to various publications for lichen identification and analysis, including "Microchemical methods for the identification of lichens" (Orange et al. 2001) and "California Lichens" by Hale and Cole.
- Several institutions and herbaria are mentioned as holding specimens of this lichen, including ASU, BM, SBBG, and HO.