Notes:
Locality: 35°12’47.92"N, 85°55’20.20"W, el. 586 m. Woodlands.

Substrate and habitat: Growing on a branch of scarlet oak, Quercus coccinea, brought to the ground by recent rain storms, in a park-like residential area bordering oak-dominated eastern deciduous woodland at the western rim of the Cumberland Plateau.

Chemistry:
medulla: C-, K-, KC-

Identification: A commonly encountered, small Physcia rosette lichen with abundant apothecia; medulla K-. The morphologically similar Physcia aipolia and Physcia pumilior have medulla K+ yellow. Some references stress the lack of conspicuous maculae in Physcia stellaris (Brodo, et al., 2001, p.558), but in their key to Physcia of the Ozarks, Harris and Ladd (2005) mention that it is “typically with prominent white spots.” The present specimen is prominantly maculate.

References:
Sharnoff’s Physcia stellaris gallery
CNALH images, description, and locality map, and a larger, interactive locality map.

Voucher specimen:
United States, Tennessee, Franklin County, Sewanee, Woodlands. 07 Feb 2010. Chris Parrish 0040, det. James C. Lendemer (NY).

Common name: star rosette lichen