Hyperphyscia adglutinata

Hyperphyscia adglutinata : England : VC27 East Norfolk : TG0780 : February 2023 : On unknown bark
TAXON:Hyperphyscia adglutinata (Flörke) H. Mayerhofer & Poelt (1979)
RECENT SYNONYMS:
FAMILY:Physciaceae
GROWTH FORM:Foliose, heteromerous
SUBSTRATES:Basic or nutrient-enriched bark, particularly tree-trunks in shaded situations; rarely on calcareous or eutrophicated siliceous stone
PHOTOBIONT:Trebouxioid alga
REPRODUCTION:Soredia; apothecia, pycnidia rare
ASCUS:If present, cylindric-clavate; apex Lecanora-type; 8 spores
SPORES:Ascospores if present ellipsoidal, brown, 1-septate, thick-walled, 13-19 × 7-9 µm; conidia if present barrel-shaped to subcylindrical
NOTABLE FEATURES:Thallus grey-green, minutely foliose; lobes narrow, branching, sometimes overlapping; underside pale, pressed tightly to substrate, difficult to detach; rhizines pale, few, inconspicuous; soralia punctiform, laminal, usually crater-like, sometimes growing together
CHEMICAL TESTS:
HABITAT:Parklands and waysides
DISTRIBUTION:Locally frequent in lowland Britain; most common in southern England
CONSERVATION STATUS:Least Concern
LICHENICOLOUS FUNGI:Lichenochora hyperphysciae, Paranectria oropensis
IDENTIFICATION DIFFICULTY:Green 2: Field identification possible with care
CONFUSION SPECIES:Hyperphyscia lucida, Phaeophyscia orbicularis

FIELD NOTES

Hyperphyscia adglutinata is one of two Hyperphyscia species in Britain. It’s a tiny lichen, so unless you encounter a larger sward, you probably won’t notice it casually. Instead you’ll need to examine a tree-trunk with a hand-lens, especially any grey-green ‘fuzzy’ patches. You’ll encounter it frequently in southern England, especially in parkland, and it’s found elsewhere throughout lowland Britain as well.

H. adglutinata is fairly distinctive. If you find a minutely foliose, grey-green lichen on a tree-trunk, whose lobes are narrow and branching, closely adpressed to the bark, and dotted with crater-like soralia, you can feel fairly confident that you’ve found H. adglutinata. That said, there is one potential confusion species that you should spare a moment to rule out: Phaeophyscia orbicularis.

Mature P. orbicularis grows larger than H. adglutinata, with somewhat wider lobes, a greyer colour and more confluent soralia. It can also be found on stone and hard artificial substrates as much as on bark. But young, small P. orbicularis can look markedly like H. adglutinata, and it takes a bit of care to distinguish them.

Fortunately, there are a few fairly straightforward distinguishing characters:

  • P. orbicularis tends to have abundant rhizines, which often protrude beyond the ends of the lobes like the curled bristles of an old brush. By contrast, H. adglutinata has sparse, inconspicuous rhizines.
  • As its name suggests, H. adglutinata tends to be quite firmly adpressed to its substrate, and surprisingly difficult to detach. But though its lobes are also flat and adpressed, P. orbicularis is more easily detached.
  • The underside of P. orbicularis is black, while that of H. adglutinata is pale.

If for whatever reason you’re unsure about this or that individual thallus, just scan a bit further with your hand-lens. H. adglutinata tends to occur in abundance on a given tree. You should likely be able to find a specimen that you can conclusively identify.

As a final note, H. adglutinata might also be confused with its cousin H. lucida. Discovered by Arno van der Pluijm in the Netherlands in 2020, H. lucida was then found in southern England in 2024. Though records are as yet extremely few, it’s probably existed here for many years, and it may be more widespread than we know.

Compared with H. adglutinata, H. lucida is a bit larger and paler, with broader lobes, less ‘tidy’ soralia, and a shiny, filmy prothallus. But less well-developed forms can be hard to separate. In any case, suspected H. lucida in Britain would have to be confirmed by an expert.

LAB NOTES

Hyperphyscia adglutinata can normally be identified without microscopy.

SPECIMENS

Hyperphyscia adglutinata : England : VC20 Hertfordshire : TL3510 : March 2025 : On Quercus trunk

Hyperphyscia adglutinata : England : VC27 East Norfolk : TG0780 : February 2023 : On unknown bark

Anthony is the field lichenologist behind Aspen Ecology. A committed naturalist, educator and communicator, he is a knowledgeable guide and responsive advisor on the remarkable world of lichens.

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The field notes and lab notes for various lichen species on this website refer to special field-lichenological techniques. Examples include collecting lichens in the field, testing lichens with chemicals and ultraviolet light, and dissecting lichens with razors or other sharp tools.

These and other field-lichenological techniques require special knowledge and experience. They also demand an ethics of respect for lichens and other wildlife, for conservationally significant species and sites, and for land and landowners.

You should not attempt any of these techniques if you lack the necessary knowledge, experience or ethical sense. You should also take all relevant safety precautions. More information about field-lichenological safety and ethics is available from the British Lichen Society .