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New Mexico orange lichen

Scientific Name: Caloplaca novomexicana

Family: Teloschistaceae

Category: Lichen

Growth: Lichenous

Duration:

Other Names:

       

New Mexico Orange Lichen

This page provides information about the New Mexico Orange Lichen, focusing on its characteristics, distribution, and potential interactions within various environments.

Considerations for Pets

  • Lichens, including the New Mexico Orange Lichen, can grow on rocks and other surfaces. It's important to be aware of their presence in areas where pets roam, especially if pets have a tendency to lick or ingest materials found outdoors.

Considerations for Children

  • Lichens, including the New Mexico Orange Lichen, can grow on rocks and other surfaces. Children might be tempted to touch or pick at them.

Scientific Name and Common Names

  • Scientific Name: Caloplaca novomexicana
  • Common Name: New Mexico Orange Lichen

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Group: Lichen
  • Family: Teloschistaceae
  • Symbol: CANO5

Distribution and Habitat

  • Primarily found in New Mexico, but also present in other regions of the Colorado Plateau, the basin and range province of Arizona, and areas from eastern North America west to the Rockies, Alberta south to New Mexico.
  • Often found growing on rocks, including tuff rocks in national monuments.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Characterized by orange apothecia (fruiting bodies) and white or gray thalli (lichen body).
  • Thallus greenish-yellow, the apothecia darker yellow or orange mostly on lime stone
  • Hymenium (part of apothecia): orange in thick section, hyaline to yellow-gold in thin section, 15-20 m thick

Interactions with Other Organisms

  • Los Alamos researchers use lichens collected from remote locations in New Mexico to detect environmental changes.
  • The text mentions leaf-cutter ants and their "fungus gardens," highlighting the complex symbiotic relationships found in nature. The body of fungi and lichens is composed of mycelia, called a thallus.

Quirky Facts

  • Native Americans in New Mexico historically used Xanthoparmelia lichens to produce dyes.
  • Orange lichens are being studied for their potential in anticancer drug research, specifically a pigment called parietin.

Further Information

  • Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region