SPECIES FACT SHEET
Common Name: tube lichen (However, this name is inappropriate because this species is not
hollow)
Scientific Name: Hypogymnia pulverata
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Parmeliaceae
Technical Description: Thallus foliose, with distinct upper and lower surfaces (cortices).
Photosynthetic partner (photobiont, phycobiont) is a green alga. Thallus circular, to 15 cm wide,
of crowded or contiguous lobes. Lobes are of two different forms: (1) older, central lobes 3-10
mm wide that are adherent to the substrate and crowded; and (2) narrower peripheral lobes 1-2
mm wide, suberect, dichotomously branched, not crowded, this form sometimes dominant.
Unlike the hollow lobes of other species of Hypogymnia, lobes of H. pulverata are mostly solid.
Upper cortex grey with wrinkles on the surface, erupting into granular soredia that may cover the
upper surface. Soredia granular, often grouped into globules 3-5 mm wide. Medulla mostly solid.
Lower surface strongly wrinkled, off-white near the tips, becoming pale brown inwards.
Apothecia rare, rising above the surface so appearing stalked, funnel-shaped, 3-12 mm wide, the
fruiting surface concave to flat, red-brown, thalline margin smooth (entire), becoming sorediate
with age.
Chemistry: cortex K+ yellow, medulla KC+ red, P+ red or P-. With atanorin, chloroatranorin,
physodic acid.
Distinctive characters: Medulla not hollow, coarsely sorediate upper cortex, atranorin and
physodic acid. Similar species: Hypogymnia subphysodes is very similar to H. pulverata but has
hollow lobes. Hypogymnia heterophylla and H. apinnata are common in coastal habitats but are
not sorediate and their lobes are hollow. Other Hypogymnia species that have sorediate lamina
are found inland. Cavernularia hultenii has laminal soralia on lobe tips but the thalli are much
smaller (generally < 2 cm in diameter), lobes are narrower (<1 mm wide) and the lower cortex is
much-perforated. Other descriptions and illustrations: Brodo 1989; Elix & James 1992: 210;
Galloway 1985: 194; McCune & Geiser 1997: 117.
Life History: Details for Hypogymnia pulverata are not documented. Apothecia are rare
rangewide and dispersal is probably mostly restricted to vegetative propagation via soredia,
litterfall, and fragmentation. Its occurrence in the Pacific Northwest, far from known populations
in the Southern Hemisphere, suggests long-distance dispersal by migrating birds or trans-Pacific
storm systems.
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Range, Distribution, and Abundance: Interruptedly bipolar. Pacific Northwestern and eastern
North America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina. Rare in North America,
widespread in Australia and New Zealand.
National Forests: none documented; suspected from the Siuslaw National Forest.
BLM Districts: documented from the Salem district; suspected on the Eugene and Coos Bay
Districts.
Habitat: The single known site for Hypogymnia pulverata in the Pacific Northwest is in coastal
forest, where it was collected in litterfall from branches of Picea sitchensis near the top of a
forested dune on BLM property in Tillamook County (McCune et al.1997). The only other
location reported for North America is from the coast of Hudson Bay in Quebec, where it was
found on Picea mariana (Brodo 1989). In Australia it lives in temperate forests up into the
subalpine, on dead wood, bark, twigs, and rocks. In New Zealand it is found in coastal and inland
sites on dead wood, bark of trees and shrubs, and rock.
Threats: Air pollution and overcollecting may be the primary threats to Hypogymnia pulverata.
Lichens of dune woodlands and forests are at risk from air pollution because of fog penetration
and patterns of prevailing winds, even on the outer coast (Klopatek et al. 2006).
Conservation Considerations: Little is known of this species in North America. McCune et al.
(1997) noted that only one individual was found at the single known locality in the Pacific
Northwest, and it is unclear if that population still survives. Revisit the known site and monitor
the status of the population. Searches for new populations in similar habitat should be a priority.
Conservation Rankings: Global: G5; National: NNR; State: S1 (Oregon); Oregon Natural
Heritage Information Center: List 2
Preparer: Daphne Stone, with edits by John A. Christy
Date Completed: 31 Dec 2007
References
Links are provided below to guide you to additional information that may be helpful in
understanding this species. Included are links to illustrations, photographs, maps and ranking
information used to determine threats and status by State Heritage Programs.
Brodo, I. M. 1989. Hypogymnia pulverata, new to North America. Lichenologist 21: 184-186.
Brodo, I. M., S. D. Sharnoff and S. Sharnoff. 2001. Lichens of North America. Yale University
Press, New Haven and London. 795 pp.
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Elix, J.A. & P.W. James. 1992. Hypogymniaceae. Flora of Australia 54 (1): 208-245.
Elix, J. A. 1992. on: Checklist of the Lichens of Australia and its Island Territiories. Australian
Biological Resources Study. Commonwealth of Australia. Department of Environmental and
Water Resources. Accessed 31 Dec 2007.
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/lichenlist/FLORA%2054/Hypogymnia_pulverata.html
Galloway, D. J. 1985. Flora of New Zealand. Lichens. Wellington, P. D. Hasselberg, New
Zealand Government Printer.
Global Information System for the Biodiversity of Lichens and Lichenicolous Fungi. Checklists
of Lichens and Lichenicolous Fungi. Version 1 May 2007. Accessed 31 Dec 2007.
http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/checklists/southamerica/argentina_l.htm
Klopatek, J.M., M.J. Barry & D.W. Johnson. 2006. Potential canopy interception of nitrogen in
the Pacific Northwest, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 234: 344-354.
McCune, B. & L. Geiser. 1997. Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University
Press, Corvallis. 386 pp.
McCune, B. & R. Rosentreter. 1997. Hypogymnia subphysodes new to North America. Evansia
14: 106.
McCune, B, R. Rosentreter, & A. DeBolt. 1997. Biogeography of rare lichens from the coast of
Oregon. In: Conservation and management of Native Flora and Fungi. T. N. Kaye et al.,
editors. Native Plant Society of Oregon, Corvallis.
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