IV. DESERT ALGAE, LICHENS, AND FUNGI
189
few foliose types are mainly epigean species, such as Squamarina crassa
(Huds.) Poelt and S. lentigera (Web.) Poelt. The only foliose saxicolous
species is Xanthoria aureola (Ach.) Erichs, var. isidioidea Beltr. All the
others belong to the crustose growth form. Endolithic species and several
Aspicilias, which are rather common in the Negev, are not included in
the numbers reported. They may be assumed to comprise about 15 species.
Most lichens reported by Müller Argovensis (1880) in Egypt are typical
of the desert environment. In common with the Negev lichen flora are R.
maciformis, R. lacunosa, Caloplaca ehrenbergii (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr., C.
aurantia (Pers.) Hellb., C. erythrina (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr. var. pulvinata
(Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr., C. aegyptiaca (Müll. Arg.) Stein., Fulgensia fulgens
(Sw.) Elenk., Squamarina lentigera (Web.) Poelt, Acarospora reagens
Zahlbr. f. radicans (Nyl.) Magn., Lecidea decipiens (Ehrh.) Ach., Buellia
canescens (Dicks.) DeNot., B. epipolia (Ach.) Mong., B. venusta
(Korb.) Lett., Lecanora crenulata Nyl., L. (Aspicilia) hoffmannii Müll.
Arg., Lecania subcaesia (Nyl.) Szat., Rinodina bischoffii (Hepp) Mass.
var. aegyptica Müll. Arg. Dermatocarpon hepaticum (Ach.) Th. Fr., and
Blastenia rejecta Th. Fr. var. bicolor (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr.
Steiner (1916) mentions the presence of two interesting lichens, Roccella fucoides (Dicks.) Wain, and Farmelia tinctorum Despr. in the
Arabian Dahna Desert; they are used by oriental women as a hair dye.
Among the 248 lichens known in Iran (Szatala, 1957) those found in
the desert and steppe areas are mainly species of the Verrucariaceae, Dermatocarpaceae, Pyrenopsidaeae, Heppiaceae, Lecideaceae, Lecanoraceae,
Acarosporaceae, Teloschistaceae, Rinodina, and Buellia.
The genera dominating in the "steppe and desert-like" areas of Central
Asia (Magnusson, 1940-1944) are Lecanora, Acarospora, Caloplaca,
Lecidea, Buellia, Rinodina, Heppia, Dermatocarpon, and species of the
Pyrenopsidaceae. The only fruticose lichen mentioned by Magnusson is
Teloschistes brevior; the few foliose species reported are mainly terricolous
species.
The terricolous species Dermatocarpon hepaticum, Collema tenax,
Toninia coeruleonigricans, Fulgensia fulgens, Lecidea decipiens, Squamarina crassa, and S. lentigera are very often mentioned among the components of lichen vegetation in steppe and desert regions. These species
are not particularly restricted to arid and semiarid areas. Ditches at the
base of boulders, rock crevices and fissures, stone pits, and depressions
provide them with a suitable microenvironment, presumably similar to the
conditions of their natural, more moderate habitat. As will be mentioned
later, these species do, however, undergo morphological modifications in
arid areas. Cladonia folicacea var. convoluta, C. pyxidata, and C. rangiformis were recorded by Keller (1926) and Tomin (1926) in West Asian
189
few foliose types are mainly epigean species, such as Squamarina crassa
(Huds.) Poelt and S. lentigera (Web.) Poelt. The only foliose saxicolous
species is Xanthoria aureola (Ach.) Erichs, var. isidioidea Beltr. All the
others belong to the crustose growth form. Endolithic species and several
Aspicilias, which are rather common in the Negev, are not included in
the numbers reported. They may be assumed to comprise about 15 species.
Most lichens reported by Müller Argovensis (1880) in Egypt are typical
of the desert environment. In common with the Negev lichen flora are R.
maciformis, R. lacunosa, Caloplaca ehrenbergii (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr., C.
aurantia (Pers.) Hellb., C. erythrina (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr. var. pulvinata
(Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr., C. aegyptiaca (Müll. Arg.) Stein., Fulgensia fulgens
(Sw.) Elenk., Squamarina lentigera (Web.) Poelt, Acarospora reagens
Zahlbr. f. radicans (Nyl.) Magn., Lecidea decipiens (Ehrh.) Ach., Buellia
canescens (Dicks.) DeNot., B. epipolia (Ach.) Mong., B. venusta
(Korb.) Lett., Lecanora crenulata Nyl., L. (Aspicilia) hoffmannii Müll.
Arg., Lecania subcaesia (Nyl.) Szat., Rinodina bischoffii (Hepp) Mass.
var. aegyptica Müll. Arg. Dermatocarpon hepaticum (Ach.) Th. Fr., and
Blastenia rejecta Th. Fr. var. bicolor (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr.
Steiner (1916) mentions the presence of two interesting lichens, Roccella fucoides (Dicks.) Wain, and Farmelia tinctorum Despr. in the
Arabian Dahna Desert; they are used by oriental women as a hair dye.
Among the 248 lichens known in Iran (Szatala, 1957) those found in
the desert and steppe areas are mainly species of the Verrucariaceae, Dermatocarpaceae, Pyrenopsidaeae, Heppiaceae, Lecideaceae, Lecanoraceae,
Acarosporaceae, Teloschistaceae, Rinodina, and Buellia.
The genera dominating in the "steppe and desert-like" areas of Central
Asia (Magnusson, 1940-1944) are Lecanora, Acarospora, Caloplaca,
Lecidea, Buellia, Rinodina, Heppia, Dermatocarpon, and species of the
Pyrenopsidaceae. The only fruticose lichen mentioned by Magnusson is
Teloschistes brevior; the few foliose species reported are mainly terricolous
species.
The terricolous species Dermatocarpon hepaticum, Collema tenax,
Toninia coeruleonigricans, Fulgensia fulgens, Lecidea decipiens, Squamarina crassa, and S. lentigera are very often mentioned among the components of lichen vegetation in steppe and desert regions. These species
are not particularly restricted to arid and semiarid areas. Ditches at the
base of boulders, rock crevices and fissures, stone pits, and depressions
provide them with a suitable microenvironment, presumably similar to the
conditions of their natural, more moderate habitat. As will be mentioned
later, these species do, however, undergo morphological modifications in
arid areas. Cladonia folicacea var. convoluta, C. pyxidata, and C. rangiformis were recorded by Keller (1926) and Tomin (1926) in West Asian