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Gold Cobblestone

Scientific Name:

Pleopsidium chlorophanum

Type:

Lichen

Habitat:

Cliffs and boulders

Range:

Worldwide

Status:

No listed status

This species is

NATIVE

to the Truckee Meadows.

Identification:

Gold cobblestone is known for its bright lemon color. It likes to grow on cliffs and boulders, creating a thin and tight bond. Gold cobblestone, like other lichens, reproduce by breaking off and starting to grow wherever the broken part lands. The spores of this lichen grow out in a circular manner and are 1 millimeter wide.

Fast Facts:

  • Gold cobblestone is extremely hardy, it is one of the few species able to survive at high altitudes in Antarctica and can cope with high levels of UV light.

  • Gold cobblestone was placed in a chamber that simulated life on Mars for 34 days, and during that time it continued to photosynthesis and grow!

  • Gold cobblestone is a crustose lichen, meaning that it forms a crust on the object it is adhering to, and so it cannot be separated without destroying the object it adhered to.

Sources:

Contributor(s):

Meghan Anderson (research & content)

Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)

Last Updated:

15 de junio de 2021, 23:10:20

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