Chemical studies on some lichens in the Linnaean Herbarium and lectotypification of Lichen rangiferinus L. (em. Ach.)

Abstract

Twenty-one specimens appear under the name ‘Lichen rangiferinus’ in the Linnaean Herbarium. Small fragments of these specimens have been subjected to chemical analysis for the first time using one or more of the following techniques: Lichen mass spectrometry, Ultraviolet spectrophotometry and Thin layer chromatography. The results, which have been stored in full on computer tape, are summarized and discussed in relation to the morphology and annotation of the lichens concerned. These studies have led to the selection of the specimen on sheet number 1273.240 as the lectotype of Lichen rangiferinus L. The fact that the chemical analysis of this specimen was carried out on less than 0.5 milligrams of thallus indicates the power of contemporary physicochemical methods in Herbarium studies of this nature.