Best Lichen

Rhizocarpon geographicum, commonly called map lichen, is a crustose lichen that grows mainly on exposed, siliceous rock. Its yellow-green areolate surface is divided by dark lines, producing a map-like pattern that gives the species its common name. It is found in cool, upland, and alpine habitats a...

Lobaria pulmonaria, commonly called lungwort, is a large foliose lichen with broad, lobed thallus segments marked by a network of ridges that can resemble lung tissue. It grows mainly on the bark of mature trees and, less often, on shaded rock in humid forests. The lichen contains cyanobacteria that...

Cladonia rangiferina, known as reindeer lichen, is a pale gray, fruticose lichen that forms dense, repeatedly branching tufts on soil, humus, and other acidic substrates. It is widespread in arctic, subarctic, and boreal regions, where it is an important winter forage for reindeer and caribou. The s...

Cetraria islandica, commonly called Iceland moss, is a lichen with erect or spreading, leafy, branching lobes that usually grows on soil in arctic, subarctic, and alpine environments. Despite its common name, it is not a moss. The lichen contains polysaccharides such as lichenan and isolichenan and...

Xanthoria elegans is an orange to reddish-orange foliose lichen that commonly grows on exposed rock in alpine, polar, and other cold environments. Its color is produced by protective pigments that help the lichen tolerate intense light, drying, and repeated freezing. Because colonies can expand slow...

Evernia prunastri, commonly called oakmoss, is a gray-green, bushy fruticose lichen that grows on the bark and branches of trees, especially in temperate woodland. It is not a moss and is classified as a lichen formed by a fungus living with photosynthetic partners. Extracts from the species have lo...

Letharia vulpina is a fruticose lichen commonly called wolf lichen. It has a yellow to yellow-green, branching thallus and occurs in western North America, where it grows on trees and other woody surfaces. The lichen contains vulpinic acid and has a documented history of use in poison mixtures inten...

Cladonia cristatella, widely known as British soldiers lichen, is a fruticose lichen with slender, pale gray-green stalks topped by conspicuous red apothecia. The red structures produce spores and account for the common name's reference to red-capped soldiers. It commonly grows on acidic soil, humus...

Teloschistes flavicans is a fruticose lichen with a yellow to orange, branching thallus. It grows on bark and other exposed surfaces, especially in humid coastal and maritime habitats, and is distributed in parts of Europe, Macaronesia, and other regions with suitable climates. Its branched form and...

Lobaria oregana is a large foliose lichen commonly known as Oregon lungwort. It has broad, lobed thalli and is associated with moist, mature conifer forests in western North America, where it can grow on tree trunks and branches, including in forest canopies. The lichen contains cyanobacteria in som...

Usnea barbata, commonly called old man's beard, is a hair-like fruticose lichen that forms gray-green strands hanging from the branches of trees. It is an epiphytic organism, meaning that it uses the supporting plant for attachment rather than drawing nourishment from its tissues. Usnea species are...

Cladonia stellaris is a fruticose lichen in the genus Cladonia, commonly called reindeer lichen or reindeer moss. It forms pale gray to whitish, highly branched cushions or rounded clumps and is associated with open, acidic, nutrient-poor ground in northern forests, heathlands, and tundra. It is an...

Lobaria amplissima is a large foliose lichen in the family Lobariaceae. It has broad, rounded lobes and is associated with humid, oceanic habitats, where it commonly grows on the bark of mature trees. Its presence is used in ecological assessment because populations can indicate long-established woo...

Alectoria sarmentosa is a gray-green, hairlike fruticose lichen commonly called witch's hair or beard lichen. It grows as long, pendulous strands on the branches of conifers and other trees in boreal and montane forests of North America and Eurasia. The lichen forms part of the winter forage availab...

Parmotrema perlatum is a large foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, commonly known as ruffle lichen. Its gray-green thallus consists of broad, rounded lobes with a wrinkled or ruffled appearance, and it typically grows on tree bark in temperate habitats. The species contains aromatic lichen co...

Ramalina menziesii is a gray-green, branching fruticose lichen commonly called lace lichen. It grows epiphytically, hanging from the branches of trees in western North America, especially in forests and woodlands with suitable humidity. California designated it the official state lichen in 2015, mak...

Lobaria scrobiculata is a large foliose lichen in the family Lobariaceae. Its blue-gray to green thallus has broad lobes with a deeply wrinkled, pitted, or scrobiculate surface, giving the species its name. It is associated with humid, relatively undisturbed woodland and can be useful in assessing h...

Pseudevernia furfuracea is a branched, shrubby fruticose lichen that grows on the bark and branches of trees in temperate regions. It is commonly called tree moss and has gray-green upper surfaces with darker lower branches. Extracts from the species have been used as raw materials in perfumery, whe...

Xanthoria parietina is a foliose lichen commonly known as the maritime sunburst lichen or common orange lichen. Its leaf-like lobes are usually yellow, orange, or yellow-green, and mature specimens often develop dark reproductive discs on the upper surface. The species grows on bark, rock, and other...

Bryoria fremontii is a dark, hairlike fruticose lichen native to western North America and commonly known as wila. It grows mainly on the branches of coniferous trees. Indigenous peoples of the region have traditionally used it as food after preparation such as boiling or leaching, processes that he...

Crocodia aurata is a large foliose lichen in the family Lobariaceae, commonly known as golden lung lichen. Its thallus has yellow to golden coloration and a ridged or wrinkled surface, features that distinguish it from many green or gray foliose lichens. The species is associated with humid tropical...

Graphis scripta, the script lichen, is a crustose lichen that grows primarily on the bark of trees. Its pale, tightly attached thallus is marked by black lirellae, elongated fungal fruiting structures that resemble written characters or strokes of script. The species is associated with shaded woodla...

Degelia plumbea is a large foliose cyanolichen distinguished by its lead-gray, brain-like ridged lobes, serving as a strong indicator species for undisturbed oceanic woodlands.

Pseudocyphellaria aurata is a foliose lichen with a leafy thallus and a cyanobacterial photobiont. It is recognized by yellow markings, including yellow pseudocyphellae and often yellow margins or exposed internal tissue, which contrast with its darker upper surface. The species grows mainly on bark...

Sticta canariensis is a cyanolichen notable for its large, fern-like lobes, serving as a crucial indicator species of ancient, unpolluted woodlands in the United Kingdom.

Dibaeis baeomyces is a terricolous lichen that commonly grows on acidic, exposed soils, especially where vegetation is sparse or the ground has been disturbed. Its primary thallus is crustose to squamulose, while its most distinctive reproductive structures are pale stalks bearing pink to red apothe...

Pseudocyphellaria crocata is a foliose lichen with broad, leafy lobes and a cyanobacterial photobiont. It is distinguished by yellow soralia, which produce powdery vegetative propagules, and by yellow coloration in the medulla or other internal parts of the thallus. The lichen is associated with hum...

Umbilicaria mammulata, commonly called smooth rock tripe, is a foliose lichen that attaches to exposed rock through a central point, giving the thallus an umbilicate form. It has broad, brown to dark brown plates with a comparatively smooth upper surface and a dark lower side. The species occurs on...

Cladonia pleurota is a species of lichen in the genus Cladonia. It has an upright, fruticose growth form with branching or cup-like podetia and is distinguished by red apothecia, which are reproductive structures that may occur at the ends or margins of the podetia. It is a ground-growing lichen ass...