Aspicilia cinerea (cinder lichen) is a gray to almost white, wide, crustose areolate lichen with large apothecia that mostly grows on rock in the mountains.[1] [2] It grows in variable forms, from having a continuous surface to being areolate.[2] It grows in Eurasia, and North America on siliceous rock, schist or igneous rock in habitats exposed to sunlight, also rarely on calciferous rock.[1] It is common in Arizona, and rare in California and Baja California at elevations of 1700mto3300mm (5,600feetto10,800feetm).[1]
Flat to almost convex areoles are angular to irregular, and 0.2â2 mm in diameter.[1] They are contiguous but clearly separated by well defined cracks.[1] It usually lacks a prothallus.[1] It may be rimose toward the outer edges.[1] Each areole has 1â10, round to angular or irregular, 0.1â1.6 mm apothecia that may be confluent when numerous.[1] Apothecia have usually black concave discs, with exciple margins of thallus tissue.[1] Asci are club shaped (clavate), with 8 ellipsoid ascospores.[1]
Lichen spot tests on the cortex and medulla are K+ red, KCâ, P+ yellow[2] or P+ orange,[1] with the medulla sometimes testing K+ yellow and P+ orange.[2] Secondary metabolites include norstictic acid and often connorstictic acid in traces, and more rarely hyposalazinic acid.[1]
The photobiont is a chlorococcoid.[1]