Melanelixia albertana

Melanelixia albertana is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. First described in 1969 from collections made in Alberta, Canada, it has undergone two taxonomic reclassifications before ultimately being placed in the genus Melanelixia in 2004. The species is characterised by the soralia on the margins of its lobes, a feature that is rare in brown parmelioid lichens. This feature is reflected in its common name, powder-rimmed camouflage lichen. Melanelixia albertana has an unusual Asian-North American disjunct distribution. The widespread presence of Melanelixia albertana across different regions is attributed to the similar climatic and vegetative conditions found in the northern parts of the interior prairies in North America, as well as in the forest steppe and ultracontinental taiga forests of northern Mongolia, Transbaikal, and Yakutia. It occurs in river valley and ravine systems, as well as aspen parkland....read more on Wikipedia.