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Umbilicaria sp.
A grey foliose lichen that grows on rocks.
Spotted on basalt rocks on top of the Umtanum creek canyon at about 2000 ft. elevation.
sometimes used as emergency food by soldiers or explorers. It contains about one-third more calories than equal amounts of honey, corn flakes, or hominy; however, this lichen cannot seriously be considered as a food crop because of its slow growth rate. Rock tripe was boiled by Washington’s troops at Valley Forge. In Japan U. esculenta, called “iwa-take,” or “rock mushroom,” is sold as a delicacy and eaten in salads or fried in deep fat. Species of rock tripe are also used as dyes.
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