A saxicolous lichen is a lichen that grows on rock.Alan Silverside's Lichen Glossary (p-z), Alan Silverside /ref> The prefix "sax" from the Latin means "rock" or "stone".
Characteristics
Saxicolous lichens exhibit very slow growth rates. They may develop on rock substrates for long periods of time, given the absence of external disturbances. The importance of the mineral composition of the rock substrate, as well as the elemental
geochemistry
Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the ...
is also important to the distribution of saxicolous lichens, but the relationship between the substrate influence on lichens, either chemical or textural, is still obscure.
Communities of saxicolous lichens are often species-rich in terms of number.