Abstract
Physcia biziana and Physcia stellaris are cosmopolitan foliose lichens of section Stellares whose chemistry has been documented almost exclusively through taxonomic spot tests and thin-layer chromatography rather than through dedicated phytochemical investigation. Both species share an invariant cortical β-orcinol depside, atranorin (C19H18O8), and a K− medulla. Beyond this shared core, the published record is contradictory: hopane triterpenoids (zeorin, leucotylin) are reported present in some populations of both taxa and explicitly absent in others. This review compiles the primary chemical data, presents the structures of the relevant metabolites, resolves the apparent contradiction between the K spot test and triterpenoid occurrence, and identifies the analytical and pharmacological work required to place the chemistry of these two species on a modern footing.References
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