tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834972773043127807.post6214171244335573028..comments2024-02-17T14:40:18.105+00:00Comments on Life On An Oxfordshire Lawn: A lichen Physcia tenellaHenry Walloonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16370052352586546748noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834972773043127807.post-14733650972642547652011-01-25T14:35:38.293+00:002011-01-25T14:35:38.293+00:00Yes this does indeed look like P.tenella. I have b...Yes this does indeed look like P.tenella. I have been examining some examples of lichens from Greenham Common, Berkshire and the hooded apperance of P.adscendens is quite distinct as you make clear. Also see http://www.stridvall.se/lichens/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Physcia<br />As to the function of the cilia - what an interesting question. I've no idea but would love to find out.<br />Keep up the good work Henry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834972773043127807.post-63827743380997660452008-02-16T15:43:00.000+00:002008-02-16T15:43:00.000+00:00Hello skhoinarionA huge thankyou - both for the ki...Hello skhoinarion<BR/><BR/>A huge thankyou - both for the kind words of encouragement and for solving the mystery of physcia's derivation. <BR/><BR/>Yet another thankyou for pointing me to the Project Perseus site. I hadn't known it existed, but I've done as you suggested and had a browse and I know I'll be returning to it many times in the future.<BR/><BR/>best<BR/><BR/>HenryHenry Walloonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16370052352586546748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834972773043127807.post-59758992943590686772008-02-15T20:57:00.000+00:002008-02-15T20:57:00.000+00:00Hello, Henry!First of all, I want to say that I've...Hello, Henry!<BR/><BR/>First of all, I want to say that I've really enjoyed your recent blog entries (as always). They are not just informative, but also consistently well thought out and interesting.<BR/><BR/>I am writing here because I noticed your request on the meaning of Physcia. You are right in that the meanings usually offered for this word can seem to be a fairly incoherent jumble of unrelated items!<BR/><BR/>I'm not a professional etymologist, but I am quite interested in words and their origins, and happen to have a copy of Liddell and Scott's monumental doorstop of a book, their "Greek-English Lexicon" (9th edition, with Jones), sometimes abbreviated LSJ, so I can at least pass on what I find there; I hope it will shed some light on the matter. (LSJ can be, in my opinion, a little intimidating for those of us who aren't Greek scholars; the Intermediate and Abridged versions of the lexicon are much less so).<BR/><BR/>First of all, I think the genus name Physcia was probably derived from the following noun, which has a variety of meanings:<BR/><BR/>phuskê:<BR/>I. the large intestine, esp. as stuffed with pudding, sausage, black-pudding<BR/>II. blister or weal on the hand<BR/>III. gall-bag on a plant<BR/><BR/>As a root for this noun, LSJ gives a verb:<BR/><BR/>phusaô:<BR/>I. to blow or puff (as with bellows)<BR/>II. to puff or blow up, distend<BR/><BR/>[and several other things that are all along the same basic line]<BR/><BR/>Also related is another noun (my own comments are in square brackets)<BR/><BR/>phûsa:<BR/>I. a pair of bellows. 2. bladder. 3. "=pharetra" [a quiver for arrows] 4. "=askos" [a skin, but especially one made into a bag; hence our "ascus", "ascospore"!]<BR/>II. breath, wind, blast. 2. wind (in the body). 3. stream, jet (of fire). 4. [air-]bubble.<BR/>III. crater of a volcano<BR/><BR/>[and some more obscure ones, including some sort of fish. (Maybe a "puffer" fish?) :-) That's quite a varied list!]<BR/><BR/>So the basic idea is of things that are puffed up or inflated in appearance; various things that *can* be puffed up or inflated; or, by extension, things that are swollen or distended.<BR/><BR/>As an aside: The slime mould genus name "physarum" happens to be related to these words.<BR/><BR/>Incidentally, if you want to have a poke around the LSJ lexicon for yourself, you can do so at the Project Perseus site ("Dictionary Headword Lookup" tool). You would enter these words, for example, as phuske^, phusao^, phusa, in the search box. (Can be freely used by all; there's no registration process, fee, or anything like that).<BR/><BR/>Apologies for the length of this comment; please feel free to delete it if I have let my enthusiasm for words get ahead of me. Unless you already happen to know where to find this information, the search can be frustrating, so I felt I ought to pass on what information I could find.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good work; all the best!<BR/><BR/>-DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com