Rhizocarpon quinonum

Rhizocarpon quinonum is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Rhizocarpaceae. It was discovered and described in 2016 from specimens collected in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. This small lichen forms brown to blackish-brown patches on non-calcareous rocks and scree in alpine environments at elevations between 565 and 1,140 m (1,854 and 3,740 ft) along Alaska's Aleutian Range. The species is distinguished from similar lichens by its chemical profile, particularly its content of anthraquinone compounds (referenced in its scientific name), which helps differentiate it from morphologically similar species like R. bolanderi that often share the same habitats. R. quinonum has since been found in additional locations including Kenai Fjords National Park, where it grows as part of diverse communities of saxicolous lichens in the cold suboceanic climate of southern Alaska....read more on Wikipedia.