Pixel Wild
Common Sunburst Lichen
Common Sunburst Lichen
Xanthoria parietina
Fungi
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
20-50 yrs
Size
Medium
Diet
Photosynthetic
Biome
Temperate coastal
Range
Worldwide
Movement
Sessile
Breeding
Spores
Defense
Toxins
Status
Common

About

Xanthoria parietina blazes orange-yellow on sunlit walls, rocks, and bark worldwide — its vivid hue comes from parietin, a pigment the lichen ramps up in direct sunlight as a built-in UV sunscreen. It thrives near bird perches, where nitrogen-rich droppings fuel unusually lush, deep-orange growth.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    spore
    A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
  2. 2.
    mycelium
    A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
  3. 3.
    fruiting body
    A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Ascomycota
Class
Lecanoromycetes
Order
Teloschistales
Family
Teloschistaceae
Genus
Xanthoria
Species
Xanthoria parietina