LICHALP

Rhizocarpon polycarpum (Hepp) Th. Fr.

Syn.: Buellia umensis H. Magn., Lecidea atroalbicans Nyl., Lecidea confervoides auct. var. polycarpa Hepp, Rhizocarpon confervoides sensu Rabenh., Rhizocarpon cyanescens (Hellb.) Zahlbr.

Lichenised.

Substrate: siliceous rocks, intermediate rocks (such as calciferous schists), bark

Altitudinal range: from the mesomediterranean belt (potential vegetation: evergreen broad-leaved forests dominated by Quercus ilex) to the alpine belt (potential vegetation: treeless Alpine grasslands and tundras, to the lower limit of perennial snow and the equilibrium line of glaciers)

Note: a probably holarctic pioneer species found on siliceous pebbles over moist ground, or on steeply inclined faces near the ground, present at low altitudes only in humid areas; widespread throughout the Alps.