Foliicolous Lichenized Fungi

by Robert Lücking

This volume treats an enigmatic group of organisms: lichens that grow on living leaves of vascular plants in tropical rainforests of the New World. No other lichen group exhibits such extraordinary diversity: up to 50 species can be found on a single leaf the size of a hand. Six-hundred species are keyed out and treated in detail, including photographic illustrations and line drawings. Also included is a substantial introductory chapter covering the history of foliicolous lichen research, the morphology and anatomy of these tiny organisms, their taxonomy and systematics, evolution and phylogeny, ecology and biogeography, interactions with other organisms, and potential applications.

866 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2008