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This is a list of species in the fruticose lichen genus Usnea, commonly known as "beard lichens". As of March 2025, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts 128 species of Usnea, although many more have been described throughout the genus's extensive taxonomic history. The fungal nomenclatural authority Index Fungorum lists nearly 2,000 taxa that have ever been associated with the ...
Growing on a conifer in the hills north of Mount St. Helens, showing the leaf-like side-branches and pendent "stems", some of them several metres long. Dolichousnea longissima (syn. Usnea longissima), [2] [3] commonly known by the names old man's beard or Methuselah's beard lichen, is a fruticose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae.
Research indicates that R. usnea shows morphological plasticity—modifying its form in response to fog and wind exposure—to enhance water capture and gain a competitive edge in its habitat. When growing on columnar substrates in fog-influenced environments, the lichen's thalli show distinct variations in form depending on their position.
Usnea is a genus of fruticose lichens in the large family Parmeliaceae. The genus, which currently contains roughly 130 species, was established by Michel Adanson in 1763. Species in the genus grow like leafless mini- shrubs or tassels anchored on bark or twigs.
The Parmeliaceae is a large and diverse family of Lecanoromycetes.With over 2700 species [2] in 71 genera, it is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi.The most speciose genera in the family are the well-known groups: Xanthoparmelia (822 species), Usnea (355 species), Parmotrema (255 species), and Hypotrachyna (262 species).
Methods for species identification include reference to single-access keys on lichens. An example reference work is Lichens of North America (2001) by Irwin M. Brodo , Sylvia Sharnoff and Stephen Sharnoff and that book's 2016 expansion, Keys to Lichens of North America: Revised and Expanded by the same three authors joined by Susan Laurie-Bourque .
The centre of a fruticose lichen's branches varies depending on the genus involved. In most, the centre is hollow. However, lichens in the genus Usnea have a fairly elastic cord running through the middle. [31] This is the most three-dimensional of the lichen growth forms, and the most sensitive to air pollution. [41]
Usnea filipendula, the fishbone beard lichen, is a pale gray-green fruticose lichen with a pendant growth form, growing in up to 20 cm many-branching tassels hanging from the bark of trees. [2] In California, it mostly grows on mostly conifer in the Coast Range, but also in the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range. [2]: 206 It lacks ...