Elegant Sunburst Lichen
(Xanthoria elegans)
Conservation • Description • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
Elegant Sunburst Lichen is an extremely widespread and very common lichen. It is found on all continents worldwide including Antarctica. It is common in Minnesota. It grows on rocks in humid to dry micro climates. It is common on rocky shores, especially where bird droppings provide nitrogen for its sustenance. It is very common on the rocky shores of Lake Superior. It is very long lived and very slow growing: it grows at a consistent rate of 1 ⁄64″ (0.5 mm) per year for the first hundred years before slowing down a bit. The vegetative body (thallus) is leaf-like (foliose) and divided into small branches (lobes). It forms colonies up to 2½″ (6.5 cm) in diameter. It grows very closely attached to the substrate (rock) but does not have root-like structures (rhizines). The lobes are convex, narrow, rounded to flattened at the tip, and 1 ⁄64″ to 1 ⁄16″ (0.5 to 2.0 mm) wide. They grow tightly connected to adjacent lobes and are so small that the lichen may at appear crusty (crusticose), especially near the center. The color of the upper surface varies with the amount of moisture available: in streams it is yellowish-orange, on rocks out of water it is orange, and in dry areas it is dark reddish-orange. The lower surface is white and somewhat wrinkled. Occasionally there are short, peg-like structures (hapters) attaching the thallus to the substrate. Disk-like, spore-producing structures (apothecia) are common, often abundant, sometimes absent. The disks are 1 ⁄32″ to ⅛″ (2 to 7 mm) in diameter, slightly raised, shaped like a plate, and the same color as the thallus. Xanthoria elegans var. splendens, the variety found in Minnesota, does not produce powdery dull granules (soredia) or shiny granules (isidia). |
Similar Species |
Ecology |
Substrate |
Rock |
Growth Form |
Foliose |
Habitat |
Humid to dry. |
Hosts |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 3/10/2025 | ||
Occurrence |
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Extremely widespread and very common |
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Taxonomy |
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Kingdom |
Fungi (fungi) |
Subkingdom |
Dikarya |
Phylum |
Ascomycota (sac fungi) |
Subphylum |
Pezizomycotina (sac fungi amd lichens) |
Class |
Lecanoromycetes (common lichens) |
Subclass |
Lecanoromycetidae (shield lichens, sunburst lichens, rosette lichens, and allies) |
Order |
Teloschistales (sunburst lichens and allies) |
Suborder |
Teloschistineae |
Family |
Teloschistaceae (sunburst lichens, firedots, and allies) |
Subfamily |
Xanthorioideae |
Genus |
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Mycobiont |
Xanthoria elegans |
Photobiont |
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Genus Both names are widely used today. MycoBank, Mushroom Observer, LichenPortal, NCBI, NatureServe, and iNaturalist use the name Rusavskia elegans. Index Fungorum, GBIF, MycoPortal, Ways of Enlichenment, ITIS, and Catalog of Life use the name Xanthoria elegans. |
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Subordinate Taxa |
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Elegant Sunburst Lichen (Xanthoria elegans var. elegans) Elegant Sunburst Lichen (Xanthoria elegans var. granulifera) Elegant Sunburst Lichen (Xanthoria elegans var. splendens) |
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Synonyms |
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Caloplaca elegans Gasparrinia elegans Lecanora elegans Lichen elegans Parmelia elegans Physcia elegans Rusavskia elegans Zanthoria elegans |
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Common Names |
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Elegant Orange Wall Lichen Elegant Sunburst Lichen |
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Glossary
Apothecium
An open, disk-shaped or cup-shaped, reproductive structure, with spore sacs on the upper surface, that produces spores for the fungal partner of a lichen. Plural: apothecia.
Crusticose
Crusty; referring to lichens in such close contact with the rock surface (substrate) that it appears sprayed on like paint.
Foliose
Adjective: Leaf-like growth form; referring to lichens with leaf-like growths divided into lobes.
Noun: The leaf-like, vegetative body of a lichen (thallus) that has thin, flat lobes which are free from the substrate.
Isidium
An asexual reproductive structure of a lichen in the form of a tiny outgrowth of the upper cortex. It consists of a cluster of algal cells (the photobiont) wrapped in fungal filaments (the mycobiont), and a shiny outer layer of protective tissue (cortex). Plural: isidia.
Rhizine
A root-like structure of a lichen that attaches the lower layer to the substrate.
Soredium
An asexual reproductive structure of a lichen in the form of a tiny dull granule on the thallus surface that can be easily brushed off. It consists of a cluster of algal cells (the photobiont) wrapped in fungal filaments (the mycobiont), but without an outer layer of protective tissue (cortex). Plural: soredia.
Thallus
The vegetative body of a lichen composed of both the alga and the fungus.
Visitor Photos |
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Dan W. Andree |
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Another Lichen from the Pavia Unit... This was out at the Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR Pavia Unit. |
Lichens... This one was on the bottom of that old gravel pit section on a glacial erratic at Frenchman’s Bluff SNA 3-8-25. |
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Lucas, Roz, and Kat Kraemer |
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We spotted several elegant sunburst lichens in Stevens County, MN last month and got some excellent pictures! These were taken in Calvary Cemetery in Morris, MN by Lucas, Roz, and Kat. |
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Luciearl |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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Today I learned about: elegant sunburst lichen 🔆 |
About
Published on Jul 25, 2017 Who knew lichen could be so elegant? The scientific name is Xanthoria elegans, while the common name is elegant sunburst lichen 🔅🔅🔅 |
Visitor Sightings |
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Dan W. Andree |
Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA |
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Dan W. Andree |
Location: Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Pavia Unit |
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Dan W. Andree |
Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA This one was on the bottom of that old gravel pit section on a glacial erratic at Frenchman’s Bluff SNA 3-8-25. |
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| Lucas, Roz, and Kat Kraemer 11/15/2023 |
Location: Morris, MN We spotted several elegant sunburst lichens in Stevens County, MN last month and got some excellent pictures! These were taken in Calvary Cemetery in Morris, MN by Lucas, Roz, and Kat. |
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| Luciearl 1/7/2019 |
Location: Cass County |
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| Luciearl 9/26/2018 |
Location: Cass County |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Created: 10/2/2018 Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |