Orange Rock Hair

Trentepohlia aurea is a species of filamentous terrestrial green alga in the family Trentepohliaceae. It grows on a variety of substrates including rocks, old walls, concrete surfaces, tree bark, rotting wood, mosses, and wet soil. The orange coloration results from carotenoid pigments in the algal cells. Trentepohlia aurea is the type species of the genus Trentepohlia. In the British Isles, it is the most widespread and abundant species of Trentepohlia.: 478  However, many records need to be reassessed, since the name has been broadly misapplied to specimens of other species, such as Trentepohlia abietina.

Description

Trentepohlia aurea consists of small bushy tufts which range in color from golden yellow to orange-brown (dried specimens are duller). The thallus consists of a bunch of erect filaments, which arise from a reduced system of prostrate filaments. Erect filaments are up to 1.5 mm tall, and are unbranched or sparsely to densely branched. Erect filaments consist of cylindrical cells 10–20 (rarely 30) μm wide, 1.5 to 4 times as wide, while prostrate filaments are swollen and up to 18 μm wide. Trentepohlia aurea has globular, ovoid or flask-shaped gametangia. They are 18–40 μm wide. Zoosporangia are 25–30 μm and 27–40 μm long.

References

External links

Media related to Trentepohlia aurea at Wikimedia Commons