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Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)

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178 BRIAN JOHN COPPINS<br />

Map 20 Micarea prasina substance B # 1950 onwards O Before 1950 substance C ® Before 1950 I<br />

shaded trunks or main stems, but also on low (shaded) branches, fallen debris (especially in<br />

conifer plantations) and stumps. It is usually found in woodlands but sometimes occurs in<br />

sheltered niches in situations, e.g. bases <strong>of</strong> Ulex stems in more open, exposed hillside<br />

gorse-scrub.<br />

The phytosociological affinities <strong>of</strong> M. prasina are various and difficult to define. When on <strong>the</strong><br />

bark <strong>of</strong> deciduous trees it sometimes occurs in shaded facies <strong>of</strong> communities belonging to <strong>the</strong><br />

Lobarion pulmonariae, Parmelietum revolutae, and <strong>the</strong> Pseudevernietum furfuraceae. It is<br />

frequently found in small bark crevices amongst ± smooth areas <strong>of</strong> bark which are colonized by<br />

communities <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Graphidetum scriptae, Pyrenuletum nitidae, and Lecanoretum subfuscae.<br />

When occurring in such situations as <strong>the</strong> shaded trunks <strong>of</strong> young conifers or shrubs M. prasina<br />

<strong>of</strong>ten exists as ± pure stands; more detailed phytosociological studies may well lead to <strong>the</strong><br />

formal syntaxonomic recognition <strong>of</strong> such communities. From amongst <strong>the</strong> <strong>British</strong> collections in<br />

E <strong>the</strong> associated species <strong>of</strong> M. prasina on <strong>the</strong> bark <strong>of</strong> deciduous trees include Arthonia spadicea,<br />

Bacidiavezdae, Chrysothrix candelaris, Cladonia coniocraea, Dimerella diluta, Evernia prunas-<br />

tri, Graphis elegans, Gyalideopsis anastomosans, Hypogymnia physodes, Lecidea icmalea,<br />

Lepraria incana, Ochrolechia androgyna, Opegrapha vulgata, Pachyphiale cornea, Parmelia<br />

glabratula, P. sulcata, Pertusaria multipuncta, Thelotrema lepadinum, Trapelia corticola, Dicranoweissia<br />

cirrata, Frullania spp., Hypnum cupressiforme, Lejeunea ulicina, and Metzgeria<br />

fareata.<br />

When on lignum its affinities are similarly difficult to define but it is <strong>of</strong>ten found in more<br />

sheltered or shaded (humid) niches adjacent to communities <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Calicietum abietini,<br />

Cladonietum coniocraeae, Lecideetum ostreatae, and Parmeliopsidetum ambiguae.

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