Bristly Beard Lichen

(Usnea hirta)

Conservation Status
Bristly Beard Lichen
Photo by Luciearl
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Bristly Beard Lichen is a very common shrubby (fruticose) lichen, It occurs throughout Europe and the Americas. It is common in northeast and north-central Minnesota, very common in the Arrowhead region, but completely absent from the remaining two-thirds of the state. It is found in coniferous and mixed forests growing on the bark and twigs of sick or dying coniferous trees, rarely also on birch trees, very rarely also on rock.

The vegetative body (thallus) is pale, grayish-green, yellowish-green, or blackish-gray, and is variable in shape. It may appear as a few long drooping strands; an erect, densely branched, shrub-like tuft; or a combination of the two. The main branches are unequal in length and have numerous short side branches. They are usually short, erect, 2 to 3 (5 to 8 cm) long, up to 1 32 (1 mm) in diameter, and stiff when dry, limp when wet. Drooping branches, if present, are up to 5 (13 cm) long. All branches are angular, not round, in cross section, are swollen at the base, and are often broadly forked. The base of each branch is the same color as the rest of the branch, not blackened. The surface is dull to shiny and never cracked. It does not have either minute, rounded, pimple-like processes (papillae) or small, wart-like processes (tubercles). It has a sometimes inconspicuous network of ridges and furrows, each of which cross two or more other ridges and furrows (transversal). It is also covered with abundant scattered or densely clustered shiny granules (isidia), and may have a few 1 265 to 1 32 (0.1 to 0.5 mm) long spine-like structures (fibrils). On each fibril there are a few to numerous minute pits (soralia) where powdery reproductive granules (soredia) are produced.

Raised, disk-like, reproductive structures (apothecia) are very rarely produced.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Substrate

 
 

Trees

 
     
 

Growth Form

 
 

Fruticose

 
     
 

Habitat

 
 

Coniferous and mixed forests

 
     
 

Hosts

 
 

Sick or dying coniferous trees, rarely birch trees, very rarely rock

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 7, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77, 81.

 
  5/29/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Very common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Fungi (fungi)  
  Subkingdom Dikarya  
  Phylum Ascomycota (sac fungi)  
  Subphylum Pezizomycotina  
  Class Lecanoromycetes (common lichens)  
  Subclass Lecanoromycetidae (shield lichens, sunburst lichens, rosette lichens, and allies)  
 

Order

Lecanorales (shield lichens, rim lichens, and allies)  
 

Suborder

Lecanorineae  
 

Family

Parmeliaceae (shield lichens and allies)  
  Subfamily Parmelioideae (typical shield lichens)  
 

Genus

Usnea (beard lichens)  
  Mycobiont Usnea hirta  
  Photobiont    
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Lichen hirtus

Usnea barbata var. hirta

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Bristly Beard Lichen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Fruticose

Shrubby: referring to the growh form of lichens that may be tufted, draped, or stalked.

 

Isidium

An asexual reproductive structure of a lichen consisting of a cluster of algal cells (the photobiont) wrapped in fungal filaments (the mycobiont) and enclosed within a layer of protective tissue (cortex). Plural: insidia.

 

Papilla

On plants: A tiny, rounded, nipple-like projection on the surface of a leaf or petal. On mushrooms: A small, raised, sharply pointed projection on the cap above the point of attachment with the stalk.

 

Soredium

An asexual reproductive structure of a lichen in the form of a tiny dull granule on the thallus surface that can be easily brushed off. It consists of a cluster of algal cells (the photobiont) wrapped in fungal filaments (the mycobiont), but without an outer layer of protective tissue (cortex). Plural: soredia.

 

Thallus

The vegetative body of a lichen composed of both the alga and the fungus. Plural: thalli.

 

Tubercle

On plants and animals: a small, rounded, raised projection on the surface. On slugs: raised areas of skin between grooves covering the body.

 
 
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Luciearl

 
 

Bristle beard lichen(hanging), also pom pom shadow lichen, powder tipped-shadow lichen?

  Bristly Beard Lichen  
           
    Bristly Beard Lichen      
           
 
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Other Videos
 
  USNEA... Old Man's Beard Medicine | w. Yarrow Willard | Harmonic Arts
Herbal Jedi
 
   
 
About

Oct 24, 2016

Join Herbalist Yarrow Willard in exploring the harvesting, preparing and many uses this powerful healing lichen has to offer.

Lichens are a symbiotic relationship between fungi, algae, and bacteria that live on the trees.

The most well known and medicinally active of the lichens is Usnea, and as such has gained much acknowledgement for its use in gram positive bacterial infections such as streptococcus and staphylococcus. Learn about this and much more in the newest addition to the Herbal Jedi video series...

 
  Common Plants: Usnea (Old Man's Beard)
Survival Dispatch
 
   
 
About

Jul 19, 2019

Joel Graves from American Survival Co. and Chris Weatherman chat about Usnea or Old Man's Beard and how it might be vital as an edible in a survival situation.

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this fungus.

 
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  Luciearl
March 2023

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Bristle beard lichen (hanging), also pom pom shadow lichen, powder tipped-shadow lichen?

Bristly Beard Lichen  
  Luciearl
11/4/2019

Location: Superior Hiking Trail, Cook County

Bristly Beard Lichen  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

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Created: 1/10/2020

Last Updated:

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