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.

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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



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