Vagrant lichen

A vagrant lichen is a lichen that is either not attached to a substrate, or can become unattached then blow around, yet continue to grow and flourish.[1] Some authors reserve the expression "vagrant lichen" for those lichens that never attach, that is, those that are obligately vagrant, referring to vagrant forms of other species as "erratic lichen".[2] Vagrant lichens generally occur in open and windswept habitats, all over the world, in all kinds of temperature zones.[1] Habitats include saltbush (mallee) vegetation zones in Australia, steppes of Eurasia, Arctic tundra, and the North American prairie.[1] They range from the low elevations of the Namib Desert to the high altitude Andean páramo.[1] There are under 100 identified vagrant species, most commonly in the Aspicilia and Xanthoparmelia genera.[1]

References
  1. Vagrant lichens, Australian Botanic Garden
  2. Rosentreter, Roger, "Vagrant Lichens in North America," Bryologist 96(3) (1993) pg. 333. Online at https://www.jstor.org/stable/3243861?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents


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