Parmelia (= Flavoparmelia ) caperata is a foliose, roughly round, white greenish or gray lichen. The biggest individuals achieve 20-25 cm diameter. The center of the tallus is squamulose or powdery because it’s plenty of soredia -these are ready for dispersion small packs o fungal hyphae plus algae cells- while the surroundings are made of smooth tallus with round edges.
Parmelia caperata is found mainly over the rough bark of planifolia trees, either on the trunk or onto the fork. It’s common in humid evergreen oak woods, where its pale colour stands out the black bark of green oaks, as seen in the 1st image. In the 2nd image, Parmelia caperata growing over an Italian maple (Acer opalus). Despite not so often, it can be found onto the rocks surface as well, as seen in the 3rd image.
[photos Jordi Badia]
- See the article Més fums, menys líquens (= More smoke, less lichens), in Catalan by Jordi Badia.