LICHALP

Opegrapha rupestris Pers.

Syn.: Opegrapha monspeliensis Nyl., Opegrapha persoonii (Ach. ex Gray) Chevall., Opegrapha saxatilis DC., Opegrapha saxicola Ach. non auct.

Non- or doubtfully lichenised.

Substrate: calciferous rocks,

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: an ecologically wide-ranging, non-lichenised species found both in natural habitats (especially shaded niches of calcareous rocks in woodlands), and in moderately disturbed situations (such as on north-facing walls); it often grows on Verrucariaceae (especially Bagliettoa- and Verrucaria-species).