The Sphaerophoraceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecanorales. Species of this family have a widespread distribution, especially in southern temperate regions, with particular diversity in cool temperate rainforests and strongly oceanic areas of both hemispheres. The family, proposed by Elias Magnus Fries in 1831, is characterised by boundary tissue separating generative and vegetative parts, and includes species with various growth forms ranging from shrub-like (fruticose) to crusty (crustose). Most members produce mazaedia, specialised spore-dispersing structures typically found at branch tips, though some genera have different reproductive strategies. The family contains seven genera and 39 species, with members producing characteristic secondary metabolites such as sphaerophorin. While traditionally defined by fruticose growth forms and mazaedial reproduction, later molecular studies supported a broader circumscription that includes morphologically diverse genera such as the crustose Gilbertaria.
Taxonomy
Sphaerophoraceae was circumscribed by the mycologist Elias Magnus Fries in 1831. By the late 18th century, only a few species now classified in this family were known to science, including Lichen fragilis (described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753) and L. globosus (described by William Hudson in 1762). The genus Sphaerophorus was established by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon in 1794, an early treatment relevant to the family's classification.
Historically, the family was circumscribed to macrolichens producing mazaedia (specialised fruiting bodies containing spores) and having prototunicate asci (spore sacs without special wall layers). These taxa were fruticose (shrub-like) with mazaediate spore dispersal. However, the family's concept has evolved significantly over time, particularly with the advent of molecular phylogenetics and anatomical studies. A specialised 'boundary tissue' occurs in all sampled members of the family and is proposed as...
