#nephroma

[lichenaday]

Nephroma antarcticum 

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[wild-e-eep]

A good stick! :3

I went to Glen Shira last week - it's a special place for lichens. Every tree was clad in a bewildering array of colours and textures.

[cedar-glade]

This species is perhaps one of if not the most widespread cyanolichen in the United States, Common in Appalachia and less common outside of it unless you find yourself in some very clean and humid woodlands.

Bottoms Up or Nephroma helveticum is a species that produces its apothecia on the lower surface of it's lobe tips making it damn near impossible to confuse it for other cyanolichens though it's genus has similar looking species this is a key indicator.

it can be found quite literally everywhere there is decent humidity and clean air at all elevations on all surfaces(mainly branches). Though it is said that it forms a non apothecia version on sandstone and noncalcium rich rocks where it is also found less commonly.

[drhoz]

#2549 - Nephroma sp. - Kidney Lichen

A widely distributed genus of medium-to-large foliose lichens, with kidney-shaped apothecia on the lower surface of their lobe tips, which often curl upwards. Most species grow either on mossy ground or rocks, or on trees.

All species of Nephroma contain the cyanobacteria Nostoc which allows the organism to fix nitrogen. Some species also contain a green alga photobiont (Coccomyxa) and the Nostoc is restricted to warty structures on the upper or lower surface of the lichen.

Several species are restricted to pristine, old growth forests.

Nephroma has been used to produce brown dye and blue dye. Nephroma arcticum is called kusskoak by the Yup’ik of Alaska, and eaten after being boiled with crushed fish eggs, and in a medicinal tea. The special also contains several antifreeze proteins that have been used to improve the texture of low-fat ice cream.

St. Arnaud, Southern Alps, New Zealand

[photo-biont]

[botanical-inspiration]

Cladonia uncialis, Nephroma arcticum,  Psoroma hypnorum

by Richard Droker 

[lichenaday]

Nephroma plumbeum

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[lichenaday]

Nephroma laevigatum

Mustard kidney lichen

This foliose cyanolichen has large, thick lobes that grow in loose rosettes up to 20 cm in diameter. The upper surface of the lobes is smooth and glossy, and typically bronze to brown-gray to gray-blue in color. The lower surface is pale brown, darkening to black toward the center. The medulla (the middle layer) is distinctly pale to mustard yellow. Nephroma lichens get their name from their kidney-shaped apothecia which notably grow on the lower surface. Why? I don't know, but it's a bold choice which I highly respect. The apothecia of N. laevigatum are reddish-orangish-brownish. Chestnut colored, if you will. It colonizes mossy bark and rocks in humid, temperate to subtropical, old growth woodlands.

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