This beautiful baby is pretty well-known as far as lichens go, L. pulmonaria! Often referred to as lungwort due to its appearance, this epiphyte has a thick, foliose thallus covered in a series of vein-like ridges, and if often mistaken for a moss. This lichenized fungus has not one, but TWO photobionts: green algae and cyanobacteria! So yeah, that is three kingdoms living and working together is harmony! Awww, look to the lichen, folks. L. pulmonaria is associated with old-growth forests, and are known for their sensitivity to pollution so are considered an indicator species of forest health. It’s a pity that human activity may be negatively impacting their population not only because it’s an awesome living thing(s), but because it contains some pretty cool compounds which may have medicinal benefits. What a precious babe!
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Ahh, Lobaria pulmonaria. I can’t even begin to get into it. This lichen is everything.
This entry was posted by jbc on Monday, January 10th, 2022 at 8:46 am and is filed under Tumblr.
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