A newly discovered species of lichen has been named for Alfred "Ernie" Schuyler, emeritus curator of botany at the Academy of Natural Sciences.
The newly named Vezdaea schuyleriana is a barely visible species of lichen, a type of fungus, and so rare that it is only known to exist in one place: on a single boulder in a rural part of central Pennsylvania.
That doesn't matter to Schuyler, who has been studying rare plants for more than 50 years.
"This is indeed a rare honor," he said in a statement Wednesday. "I love it!"
James Lendemer, a doctoral student at The New York Botanical Garden, discovered the lichen and announced in a recent issue of a scientific journal that he named his discovery after his friend and colleague. Lendemer had previously curated the academy's lichen collection, which has more than 25,000 specimens and is one of the oldest in North America.
Lichens are unusual because they're actually two things - fungi and algae - growing in a symbiotic relationship to form a composite organism. Lichens are typically seen on rocks, stone walls and trees. There are more than 14,000 known species of lichens worldwide.
Some lichens are sensitive to environmental changes, so researchers study them to determine effects from air pollution.
"There is a lot we don't know about lichens because so few people study them, and minute lichens are rarely collected and studied," Schuyler said. "Who is going to search for more Vezdaea schuyleriana? It's so rare, it may never be seen again."
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Online: Academy of Natural Sciences: http://www.ansp.org
