Lecanora anakeestiicola(Lecanorales): an unusual new fruticose species from Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern North America

Researchers have identified Lecanora anakeestiicola, a new, sterile, asexually reproducing lichen species from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This discovery highlights its unique features: a dimorphic thallus with flaccid, ecorticate pseudopodetia and the production of usnic acid alongside zeorin. The study distinguishes this species from similar ones like Lecanora phryganitis (which produces xanthones and has stiff, tangled pseudopodetia) and Leprocaulon americanum and L. quisquiliare (both characterized by erect pseudopodetia with a stiff central cord). The findings are based on morphological analysis of two known populations found on shaded outcrops of the Anakeesta Formation at high elevations in the southern Appalachians.

Lendemer, J. C., & Tripp, E. A. (2015). Lecanora anakeestiicola(Lecanorales): an unusual new fruticose species from Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern North America. The Bryologist, 118(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745-118.1.001