INTRODUCING ALGAE, LICHENS AND FUNGI
Neither plants nor animals, fungi are classified in their own kingdom. They digest their food externally and absorb the nutrients to enable growth. Many species form complex relationships with other organisms. One such group are the lichens; here, a partnership involves a fungal body that harbours a photosynthesising partner, usually an alga.
Trentopohlia sp. Encrusting
Colourful algae. Similar to an encrusting lichen and one of the commonest symbionts in lichen partnerships. Usually found on shady, damp rocks. STATUS Commonest in the W.
Cladonia sp. Spreading
Cladonia sp. lichens
Several Cladonia lichens are common in dunes and maritime heaths. Some form intricate networks of densely packed blue-grey or whitish wirewool-like strands. Others resemble miniature stag’s antlers and a few comprise scaly stalks topped with red spore-producing bodies. STATUS Locally common.
Sea Ivory Ramalina siliquosa Length 3cm
Branched, tufted lichen of coastal rocks and stone walls. Grows well above the high-tide mark but tolerates salt spray. Branches are flattened and grey, with disc-like spore-producing bodies. STATUS Locally common. Abundant on W coasts.
Dogtooth Lichen Peltigera canina Spreading
Forms dense mats on the ground, typically favouring sandy soils on dunes. Lichen body is attached to the ground by root-like structures on lower surface. Tooth-like reproductive structures appear on upper surface. STATUS Locally common.
Black Lichen Lichina pygmaea Encrusting
Patch-forming lichen comprising densely packed, branched and flattened tufts that are dark brown. Grows on middle shore, attached to rocks and often in crevices. STATUS Common on suitable substrates.
Black Tar Lichen Verrucaria maura Encrusting
Patch-forming lichen of coastal rocks and stabilised shingle. Often found just above barnacle zone, and tolerates salt spray and periodic immersion. Surface is sooty black and covered with a delicate network of cracks. Sometimes mistaken for oil. STATUS Common on suitable substrates.
Bright orange lichen forming irregular patches up to 5cm across on rocks around the high-water mark. Tolerant of salt spray and brief immersion in sea water. STATUS Widespread around coasts of Britain and Ireland; commonest in the W.
Yellow Scales Xanthoria parientina Spreading
One of our most familiar and colourful lichens; grows inland but most spectacular on coasts. Forms bright orange-yellow patches on rocks and walls. Surface comprises leafy, narrow scales that are rather wrinkled. STATUS Widespread and common.
Map Lichen Rhizocarpon geographicum Spreading
Aptly named rock-encrusting lichen. Surface is yellowish and etched with black spore-producing bodies. When 2 neighbouring colonies meet, boundaries are defined by black margins, creating a map-like appearance. STATUS Locally common on coasts.
Golden Hair Lichen Teloschistes flavicans Width to 7cm
Distinctive lichen, entirely restricted to coastal heaths and short cliff-side vegetation. Comprises a network of bright orange interweaving strands that form a wirewool-like mass. STATUS Local in suitable habitats in W Britain.
Crab’s-eye Lichen Ochrolechia parella Spreading
Encrusting, patch-forming lichen found on walls and rocks. Surface is greyish with a pale margin. Clusters of raised, rounded and flat-topped spore-producing structures give rise to its common English name. STATUS Common on coasts of W Britain.
Black Shields Tephromela atra Encrusting
Patch-forming lichen. Grows on rocks, at and just above the high-tide mark; tolerates salt spray. Grows inland but commonest on coasts. Surface is knobbly and grey, while spore-producing structures are rounded and black with pale grey margins. STATUS Common on suitable substrates.
Anaptychia runcinata Width to 10cm
Cushion-forming lichen comprising numerous overlapping, flattish olive-brown lobes that are slightly leathery. Grows on rocks and stone walls, usually within sight of the sea. STATUS Common on suitable substrates.
In western Britain, lichens typically grow in profusion on coastal rocks. Several species often grow in close proximity to one another, showing zonation according to their tolerance of sea spray.
Agaricus devoniensis Width to 7cm
Field Mushroom
Dune-living relative of the Cultivated Mushroom; grows mostly buried in sand. FRUIT BODY comprises an off-white cap, usually covered with sand. Gills are pink at first, maturing brown. White stem is always buried and hidden. STATUS Locally common. SIMILAR SPECIES Field Mushroom A. campestris (Width to 8cm) is the classic ‘mushroom’ of short grassland and common near the coast. Its off-white cap and stem stand clear of the ground; gills are pink, maturing dark brown.
Egghead Mottlegill Panaeolus semiovatus Height to 15cm
Distinctive toadstool. Found in coastal grassland on weathered dung of cattle and horses. FRUIT BODY comprises domed, wrinkled and creamy-white cap. Gills mature blackish and stem is slender and white. STATUS Locally common.
Parasol Macrolepiota procera Height to 30cm
Impressive grassland mushroom. FRUIT BODY comprises a whitish cap with brown scales, measuring 20cm or more diameter. Gills are whitish and stem is slender and covered with dark scales. STATUS Common in dunes and short coastal turf.
Dune Waxcap Hygrocybe conicoides Height to 8cm
Colourful mushroom of dunes and coastal grassland. FRUIT BODY comprises a conical yellow or orange cap, gills and slender stem. Whole fruit body often blackens with age, sometimes becoming entirely black. STATUS Locally common.
Tiny Earthstar Geastrum minimum Width to 3cm
Miniature earthstar. FRUIT BODY has 6–10 ray segments that curl back with maturity; often encrusted with sand beneath. Spore sac is up to 1cm across, borne on a short stalk and with a fibrous opening. STATUS Rare, restricted to N Norfolk dunes.
Dwarf Earthstar Geastrum schmidelii Width to 3cm
Small buffish earthstar. FRUIT BODY has 5–8 ray segments that curl back with maturity. Spore sac is up to 1cm across, borne on a short stalk and with a pleated opening. STATUS Scarce and local, in dunes in England and Wales, mainly in the W and N.
Winter Stalkball Tulostoma brumale Height to 3cm
Distinctive stalked puffball. FRUIT BODY comprises a spherical spore sac with an apical opening, borne on a stalk whose length increases as winter progresses. STATUS Locally common in sandy dune soils; abundant in a few sites on the N Norfolk coast.
Grey Puffball Bovista plumbea Width to 2.5cm
Familiar dune puffball. FRUIT BODY is white and smooth at first. In maturity, outer layer is shed, revealing a grey spore sac with apical pore; fruit body becomes detached and blows around in the wind. STATUS Widespread and common.
Dune Stinkhorn Phallus hadriani Height to 15cm
Unmistakable. First appears as a pinkish-lilac ‘egg’. FRUIT BODY emerges as a white stem carrying a honeycombed head covered in the smelly brown spore mass; flies eat this and disperse spores. STATUS Local; restricted to dunes and associated with Marram.
Geoglossum cookeianum Height to 7cm
A so-called ‘earthtongue’. FRUIT BODY is blackish with a broad, flattened and furrowed head tapering into a short stem. STATUS Widespread and common in dunes.