Thamnolia vermicularis
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Thamnolia vermicularis |
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| ( Sw. ) Oh. ex Schaer. |
Thamnolia vermicularis , also Totengebeinsflechte or Wurmflechte is a lichen , whose hollow, pale Thallusäste remember offset resulting lightweight bones of small mammals or birds.
description
The lichen consists of white, pointed thallus branches 2 - 7 cm long and 1 - 2.5 mm in diameter. These are irregularly shaped and have a pitted, squashed surface. It creeps like a worm or forms dense cushions, whereby it is not always attached to the ground, but sometimes lies loosely. The sterile (= infertile) lichen ( Deuteromycetes ) does not form any fruiting bodies and recently spreads only with fragments of thallus . The lichen belongs to the Icmadophilaceae family. The algae partner in the symbiosis (Phycobiont) is Trebouxia.
Location
Thamnolia vermicularis is distributed worldwide on all continents in arctic and alpine climates. It is found in Gämsheide stands and crooked sedge lawns, mostly on acidic rock, often in places exposed to wind. In the Alps you can find them regularly at altitudes of over 2000 meters on lime-poor soils. In North America it occurs in the Rocky Mountains as well as in northern Canada and Alaska. There are two chemotypes (var. Subuliformis and var. Vermicularis) which are fairly well separated in terms of areal geography. The current distribution area is likely to have quite old origins due to the method of propagation.
In Yunnan, China, Thamnolia vermicularis is also used to make tea. The lichen contains a polysaccharide (thamnolan), which is said to have a physiological effect.
literature
- Bernhard Marbach, Christian Kainz: Mosses, ferns and lichens. Recognize and identify common and conspicuous species (FSVO nature guide). BLV, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-405-16323-4 .
- Irwin E. Brodo, Sylvia Duran Sharnoff, Stephen Sharnoff: "Lichens of North America" (Yale University Press). New Haven 2001, ISBN 978-0-300-08249-4
