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Siphula
Genus of lichens From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Siphula is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Icmadophilaceae. The widespread genus was circumscribed by the Swedish mycologist Elias Fries in 1831.[3]
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Description
The genus Siphula includes lichens with a shrubby, upright thallus (the lichen body) that is sparsely branched and has a whitish appearance. The outer surface, or cortex, is pseudoparenchymatous, meaning it consists of densely packed cells resembling plant parenchyma (common plant tissue). Siphula species partner with chlorococcoid algae, a type of green algae that supplies the lichen with energy through photosynthesis.[4]
Inside the thallus, the medulla (inner tissue layer) is compact and has fungal filaments (hyphae) that are generally aligned in a longitudinal direction. No reproductive structures, such as apothecia (spore-producing bodies) or conidiomata (asexual spore-producing bodies), have been observed to occur in this genus.[4]
Chemically, Siphula lichens contain various compounds including p- and m-depsides, dibenzofurans, and chromones, such as the compound siphulin.[4]
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Habitat and distribution
Siphula species are found growing on peaty soils and on acid-leached bark in temperate rainforests as well as in wet alpine environments. This genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring across various regions worldwide.[4]
Species
As of October 2024[update], Species Fungorum accepts 22 species of Siphula:[5]

- Siphula australiensis Kantvilas (2004)[6]
- Siphula capensis Kantvilas (2023)[7]
- Siphula ceratites (Wahlenb.) Fr. (1831)[3]
- Siphula chimantensis V.Marcano (2021)[8]
- Siphula coriacea Taylor ex Nyl. (1860)[9]
- Siphula crittendenii Kantvilas (2023)[7]
- Siphula decumbens Nyl. (1888)[10]
- Siphula dissoluta Nyl. (1888)[10]
- Siphula fastigiata (Nyl.) Nyl. (1863)[11]
- Siphula flavovirens Kantvilas, Zedda & Elix (2003)[12]
- Siphula gracilis Kantvilas (1998)[13]
- Siphula paramensis V.Marcano & L. Castillo (2021)[14]
- Siphula parhamii Kantvilas (2004)[6]
- Siphula pteruloides Nyl. (1859)[15]
- Siphula subpteruloides V.Marcano (2021)[8]
- Siphula subsimplex V.Marcano (2021)[8]
- Siphula verrucigera (J.F.Gmel.) R.Sant. (1966)[16]
References
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