Plants of the Gila Wilderness
Presented in Association with the
Western New Mexico University Department
of Natural Sciences
Buellia spuria (Schaer.) Anzi
Sunken Rock Buttons
Family: Caliciaceae
Buellia spuria is a crustose lichen that grows on rock. The thallus is
white to gray, with a black prothallus that can be very conspicuous or narrow. The
apothecia are numerous and are commonly located near the edges of the squamules. The
spores are 10μ long, two-celled and brown in color. There are 8 spores per ascus. The
medulla is strongly K+ yellow. Buellia spuria is found in the mountains on large
boulders.
Please click on an image for a larger file.

Buellia spuria, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Gila National Forest,
Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek Ranch Road, on a large roadside boulder,
December 3, 2024

Buellia spuria, closeup, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Gila National Forest,
Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek Ranch Road, on a large roadside boulder,
December 3, 2024

Buellia spuria, macro, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Gila National Forest,
Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek Ranch Road, on a large roadside boulder,
December 3, 2024

Buellia spuria, macro, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Gila National Forest,
Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek Ranch Road, on a large roadside boulder,
December 3, 2024

Buellia spuria, photomicrograph, Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Gila National Forest,
Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek Ranch Road, on a large roadside boulder,
December 3, 2024

Buellia spuria, photomicrograph of spores in asci, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Gila National Forest, Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek Ranch Road, on a large roadside boulder,
December 3, 2024

Buellia spuria, yellow reaction in KOH, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Gila National Forest,
Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek Ranch Road, on a large roadside boulder,
December 3, 2024
Back to the Index