Bulletin 12 - November 1980: A local lichen

A local lichen

by P. James Esq.

Members of the ENHG collected specimens of a lichen found on stones and dead twigs on the surface close to the Dubai Road beyond the new Abu Dhabi airport. The lichen was very widespread and a sample was sent to the British Museum (Natural History) for identification. The following is the result:

"The species . . . is a widespread plant called Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th. Fr. It is usually a species of nutrient-enriched sites; in Britain it occurs around farmsteads and around rocky sea shores. It is common in the Mediterranean and also occurs in the Southern Hemisphere. In Abu Dhabi, its presence is probably influenced by the occurrence of coastal mists at certain times of the year. This is all the precipitation that is necessary for its survival."