A squamulose lichen is a

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.squamules. If they are raised from the substrate and appear leafy, the lichen may appear to be a

foliose lichen Foliose lichen is one of the morphological classes of lichens, which are complex organisms that arise from the symbiotic relationship between fungi and a photosynthetic partner, typically algae. This partnership allows lichen to live in diverse ...

, but the underside does not have a "skin" (

cortex Cortex or cortical may refer to: Biology * Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ ** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain'' *** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...

), as foliose lichens do. Squamulose lichens are composed of flattish units that are usually tightly clustered. They are like an intermediate between

crustose Crustose is a habit of some types of algae and lichens in which the organism grows tightly appressed to a substrate, forming a biological layer. ''Crustose'' adheres very closely to the substrates at all points. ''Crustose'' is found on rocks and ...

and

foliose lichens Foliose lichen is one of the morphological classes of lichens, which are complex organisms that arise from the symbiotic relationship between fungi and a photosynthetic partner, typically algae. This partnership allows lichen to live in diverse ...

Examples of squamulose lichen include ''

Vahliella leucophaea ''Vahliella'' is a genus of nine species of lichenized fungi in the order Peltigerales. It is the only member of the Vahliellaceae, a family circumscribed in 2011 to contain this genus. ''Vahliella'' was formerly placed in the family Pannariacea ...

'', ''

Cladonia subcervicornis ''Cladonia'' is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer/caribou. ''Cladonia'' species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets i ...

'' and ''

Lichenomphalia hudsoniana ''Lichenomphalia hudsoniana'' is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is widely distributed in alpine and arctic regions of the world, where it grows on moist soil amongst moss. Taxonomy The species was first species descr ...

''.

References

Lichenology {{lichen-stub