Siphula
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.
Description
The genus Siphula includes lichens with a shrubby, upright thallus that is sparsely branched and has a whitish appearance. The outer surface, or, is, meaning it consists of densely packed cells resembling plant parenchyma. Siphula species partner with algae, a type of green algae that supplies the lichen with energy through photosynthesis.Inside the thallus, the medulla is compact and has fungal filaments that are generally aligned in a longitudinal direction. No reproductive structures, such as apothecia or conidiomata, have been observed to occur in this genus.
Chemically, Siphula lichens contain various compounds including p- and m-depsides, dibenzofurans, and chromones, such as the compound siphulin.
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.Species
, Species Fungorum accepts 22 species of Siphula:Siphula australiensis Siphula capensis Siphula ceratites Siphula chimantensis Siphula coriacea Siphula crittendenii Siphula decumbens Siphula dissoluta Siphula fastigiata Siphula flavovirens Siphula gracilis Siphula paramensis Siphula parhamii Siphula pteruloides Siphula subpteruloides Siphula subsimplex- ''Siphula verrucigera''