SafePlants

Caloplaca dispersa: The Dispersed Orange Lichen

Caloplaca dispersa, commonly known as the dispersed orange lichen, is a fascinating example of a lichen, a symbiotic partnership between a fungus and an alga.

Considerations for Pets

• This lichen grows as a crust on rocks.
• It produces the pigment parietin, resulting in its orange color.

Considerations for Children

• This lichen grows as a crust on rocks.
• It produces the pigment parietin, resulting in its orange color.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Caloplaca dispersa de Lesd.
• Common Name(s): Dispersed Orange Lichen (U.S. name)
• Rank: Species
• Family: Teloschistaceae
• Group: Lichen

Distribution and Habitat

• The Dispersed Orange Lichen is saxicolous (growing on rocks).
• Found in Britain and Ireland.
• Observed on cliffs, rocky shores, and in the Bay Area landscape.
• Documented on Stanpit Marsh.

Morphological Characteristics

• Grows like an orange crust coating the rock.
• Minute, c.0.05-0.2 (-0.3) mm diameter, coral to bump-like, convex apothecia which are dispersed or loosely grouped.
• Thallus thick (occasionally thin and dispersed when on siliceous rocks).

Ecological Role

• Lichens contribute to the weathering of rock-forming minerals, potentially leading to disintegration and dispersion of siliceous relics.
• The orange color can identify hunting perches of birds.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Lichens are a symbiotic association of a fungus and an alga.
• Lichens can be dispersed by wind, water, vertebrates, birds, or insects.
• Trichoribates trimaculatus are found on the lichen.

Quirky Facts

• Lichens are able to be dispersed through animal digestion and passing through the rigs.

Further Information

• Key to two genera has recently been published (Orange 1995).