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Usnea
Usnea is the generic and scientific name for several species of lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, that generally grow hanging from tree branches, resembling grey or greenish hair. It is sometimes referred to commonly as Old Man's Beard, Beard Lichen, or Treemoss. Usnea grows all over the world. Like other lichens it is a symbiosis of a fungus and an alga. The fungus belongs to the division Ascomycota, while the alga is a member of the division Chlorophyta.
Old man's beard with open spore cups.
Spotted on Jan 25, 2012
Submitted on Jan 25, 2012
6 Comments
Thank you Seema!
Beautiful
Thanks Kerry! It's the name for the wild clematis seed heads in England too!
Great capture. I find common names so interesting — where I grew up (in the South Island of New Zealand) "Old Man's Beard' refers to a type of wild clematis. :-)
Thank you!
Great capture!