#roccella

Roccella phycopsis

Litmus

So you've probably heard of a litmus test. Ever wondered what that is? Well a litmus test is a chemical test used to figure out if substance is acidic or basic, and litmus (from Old Norse meaning "moss used for dying,") is derived from lichens!!! It is unclear exactly which Roccella lichens were originally used to make litmus (people weren't so careful about species ID back in the day, ya know?), but R. phycopsis is among the original litmus lichens. This fruticose lichen has terete, erect branches which grow in small tufts out of a basal holdfast attached to costal rock, cliffs, walls, and shrubs. It is pale gray-brown, and has bulging or spikey soralia producing white soredia. The basal holdfast has a characteristic orange or ochre medulla (internal layer of fungal hyphae). R. phycopsis is rather rare, likely due in part to overharvesting for its use as a source for purple dye stretching back to the Roman empire! And inevitably due to the destruction of suitable costal habitat. So yeah, I hope y'all learned something new today, and the next time someone mentions a "litmus test," interrupt whatever they are saying in order to share this fun fact, and encourage them to conserve costal habitats for the preservation of these special little guys.

images: source

Roccella nigerrima 

Why are there so few pictures of this lichen on the internet? Well maybe because it is only found on the Galapagos Islands, and when people go to the Galapagos, they're not usually there to take pictures of the lichens, unfortunately. But like, how could you not want to take pictures of this beautiful little critter? This fruticose lichen has pale white-gray, terete, many-branched thallus, and grows on costal rocks and cliffs. It produces ochre to pale brown soredia along the lower branches, and has only been found with apothecia on one occasion. There are 2 very similar Roccella species native to South America, but they both have a C+ reaction whereas R. nigerrima here has a C- reaction. So you know, if you are ever traveling in the Galapagos and happen to have some bleach on you for chemical testing of lichens and are able to ID this little guy, definitely snap some pictures! For me, for yourself, and for the lichenology community at large.

images: source | source | source

Roccella allorgei

Dreaming of warmer weather and sunny skies on this cold winter evening, and am looking to lichens of the Mediterranean for inspiration. R. allorgei is a fruticose lichen with long, round, wormy-like lobes which are flattened toward the tips. It has a smooth, pale surface of  cream or beige. It comes in 2 morphs: So  branches are either dotted with tubercle-like soralia producing granular soredia (vegetative propagules) or with immersed apothecia  (fruiting bodies which produce sexual spores) that have a pale, pruinose disc. R. allorgei grows on costal rock and cliffs in Macaronesia, the Mediterranean, and southern Africa. 

images: source | source

«Non posso accettare che venga portato via nessuno»

Ah ma perchè? Era tra le opzioni che se ti contestano si può far portare via la gente?

di Massimo Marnetto Per Nordio, la parità di genere è contronatura. Il maschio – più forte della femmina – è strutturalmente portato alla sopraffazione; e voler reprimere questo impulso è una forzatura contro il suo Dna, dice in sintesi il Ministro. Dopo queste parole assurde, ho pensato: adesso a destra qualcuno gli salverà la faccia, puntando tutto sul potere dell’educazione. E invece la…