Acicular: needle-shaped.
Apothecia: - fruiting bodies with open or disk-shaped hymenia.
Areolate: - composed of small, more or less polygonal areas.
Asci: - specialized hyphal cells which bear ascospores.
Bacilliform: - cylindrical in shape with parallel sides and blunt rounded ends.
Cilia: hair-like structure composed of fungal hyphae
Ciliate: - bearing hair-like structures.
Cortex: - an outer layer of a lichen thallus composed entirely of fungal cells.
Corticate: - possessing a cortex.
Disk: - the surface of a hymenium .
Epithecium - the upper layer of a hymenium which is often of a distinctive color.
Exciple - a specialized layer which laterally surrounds a hymenium.
Farinose - fine powdery material, like flour.
Hymenium - the portion of a fruiting body composed of asci and paraphyses.
Hyphae - fungal filaments.
Hypothallus - first growth of hyphae of a lichen before any differentiation has taken place, sometimes persisting as a colored layer below or surrounding the thallus.
Hypothecium - fungal layer below a hymenium.
Isidiate - bearing asexual reproductive structures composed of both cortical and algal layers.
K or KOH - a 10% solution of potassium hydroxide in water.
Medulla - the area of loosely packed fungal hyphae within a thallus.
Micron - length of 1/1000 of a millimeter.
Non-vascular plants - plants with internal vascular system of vessels for conducting water and nutrients from one part of their body to another. These plants lack true leaves and roots. For example, lichens, mosses, liverworts, fungi, algae.
P or PD - a 5% solution of paraphenylenediamine in 95% alcohol; must be made up fresh; must be used with care as it is highly caustic.
Papillae - rounded bumps.
Paraphyses - non-reproductive hyphae in a hymenium.
Podetia - stalk-like elevations which bear apothecia.
Polarilocular - two-celled spores with a thick septum, transversed by a connecting tube .
Pruinose - having a powdery secretion or bloom on the surface.
Pseudocyphellae - small irregular pits through which the medulla shows.
Rhizines - anchoring hyphae or groups of hyphae .
Soralia - groups of soredia.
Sorediate - bearing small rounded asexual reproductive structure which originate from the algal layer and become exposed through a crack in the cortex.
Squamules - flat, upright, leaf-like lobes.
Vascular plants - plants with internal vascular system of vessels for conducting water and nutrients between their roots and leaves. For example, trees, shrubs, herbs.