species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
of
fungus
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...
in the genus ''
Roccella Roccella may refer to:
* Roccella Valdemone, a municipality in Sicily, Italy
* Roccella Ionica
Roccella Ionica (; also known as Roccella Jonica or simply as Roccella ( Roccellese: ) is a town and ''comune'' located on the Ionian Sea in Calabria, ...
'',
homotypic synonym
The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
* In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...
of ''Lecanora tinctoria'' (DC.) Czerwiak., 1849. It was first described by
varieties
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
:
* ''R. t.'' var. ''portentosa''
* ''R. t.'' var. ''subpodicellata''
* ''R. t.'' var. ''tinctoria''
and formae:
* ''R. t.'' f. ''complanata''
* ''R. t.'' f. ''tinctoria''
Uses
It is used to make
litmus
Litmus is a water-soluble mixture of different dyes extracted from lichens. It is often absorbed onto filter paper to produce one of the oldest forms of pH indicator, used to test materials for acidity. It is a purple dye that is extracted f ...
, a mixture of several organic compounds.
Lichen has been used for centuries to make dyes. This includes royal purple colors derived from roccella tinctoria, also known as orseille. The process of making this dye was a secret and lead to the wealth of the weavers of Grainville-la-Teinturière and the Rucellai family of Florence, whose family name is related with the latin name of the plant, ''oricellum''. There has been speculation that the abundance of roccella tinctoria on the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...
Orcinol
Orcinol is an organic compound with the formula CH3C6H3(OH)2. It occurs in many species of lichens including '' Roccella tinctoria'' and ''Lecanora''. Orcinol has been detected in the "toxic glue" of the ant species ''Camponotus saundersi''. It is ...
, a natural phenolic organic compound, occurs in many species of
lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Essai analytique des lichens de l’orseille ��, ''
Annales de chimie et de physique
__NOTOC__
''Annales de chimie et de physique'' ( French for ''Annals of Chemistry and Physics'') is a scientific journal founded in Paris, France, in 1789 under the title ''Annales de chimie''. One of the early editors was the French chemist Ant ...
'', 1829, ''42'', p. 236–257. including ''R. tinctoria''.
Index Fungorum
''Index Fungorum'' is an international project to index all formal names (scientific names) in the fungus kingdom. the project is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, one of three partners along with Landcare Research and the Institute of M ...