About Teloschistes velifer F.Wilson
Teloschistes velifer is a lichen with a partially shrubby, upright thallus, the body of the lichen. It often forms dense, cushion-like patches approximately 10 mm in diameter. The upper surface of the thallus has a radiating pattern and is made up of elongated, linear lobes, each about 10 mm long and 1–2 mm wide. These lobes are slightly ridged and branch at their ends, with yellow, hair-like outgrowths called fibrils that are 0.5–1.5 mm long. Lobe edges are often hooded, and carry fine greenish to greyish powdery clusters of reproductive cells called soredia. Soredia are exposed on the non-cortical underside of the lobes. The upper surface of Teloschistes velifer is orange-yellow, and turns purple when treated with potassium hydroxide (K). Its underside is grey to whitish and has the same slight ridging seen on the upper side. Its reproductive structures, called apothecia, are 1–3 mm in diameter. They start out broadly and directly attached to the upper surface of the lobes, surrounded by noticeable curved edges made of the same material as the thallus. Over time, apothecia grow terminally on 1–2 mm tall, ridged stalks, become convex, and their margins are no longer enclosed by fibrils. The disc of the apothecium is orange-red with a matte texture. The spore-producing cells, called asci, are club-shaped and measure 50–60 by 12–15 μm. Ascospores are two-chambered and ellipsoid, ranging from 10 to 16 by 6–8 μm in size.
