''Umbilicaria esculenta'', the rock tripe or Iwa-take, is a

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Umbilicaria Rock tripe is the common name for various lichens of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grow on rocks. They are widely distributed, including on bare rock in Antarctica, and throughout northern parts of North America such as New England and the Rocky ...

'' that grows on rocks.

Morphology

Two different types of polysaccharides are known to be the structural components, both a heteroglycan from the fungus and a glucan from the alga.Sone, Y., Isoda-Johmura, M., & Misaki, A. (1996). Isolation and chemical characterization of polysaccharides from Iwatake, Gyrophora esculenta Miyoshi. ''Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry'', ''60''(2), 213-215. U. esculenta lichens have a thallus attached to the substrate with a central holdfast.Watson, R. R. (n.d.). ''Polyphenols in plants isolation, purification and extract preparation''. Academic press, an imprint of Elsevier. The thallus is also heteromerous (parts that are different in quality and number) and fully corticated (has a cortex and bark). Many of the Umbilicaria species are characterized by a veined or rugose thalline surface.

Ecology

''Umbilicaria esculenta'' is a

saxicolous lichen A saxicolous lichen is a lichen that grows on rock. The prefix "sax" from the Latin means "rock" or "stone". Characteristics Saxicolous lichens exhibit very slow growth rates. They may develop on rock substrates for long periods of time, give ...

; it grows on rocks and is known widely as the "rock tripe". It is usually found on at high altitude in

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

.Sun, Yanhong, et al. “The Polysaccharide Extracted from Umbilicaria Esculenta Inhibits Proliferation of Melanoma Cells through ROS-Activated Mitochondrial Apoptosis Pathway.” ''Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin'', The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, 1 Jan. 2018, https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/41/1/41_b17-00562/_html/-char/ja.

Human uses

''U. esculenta'' is considered a delicacy in China, Korea, and Japan where it is eaten in dishes, soups, or in salads.Zhao, Y., Wang, M., & Xu, B. (2021). A comprehensive review on secondary metabolites and health-promoting effects of edible lichen. ''Journal of Functional Foods'', ''80'', 104283 It has been used as starvation food by Native Americans and early settlers.

Gallery

File:Hiroshige II - Kishu kumano iwatake tori - Shokoku meisho hyakkei.jpg, ''Iwatake'' gathering at Kumano in Kishū, by

Hiroshige II was a Japanese designer of ukiyo-e art. He inherited the name Hiroshige II following the death in 1858 of his master Hiroshige, whose daughter he married. In 1865 he moved from Edo to Yokohama after dissolving his marriage and began using ...

File:Korean pan fried mushrooms.jpg, Korean

pan-fried Pan frying or pan-frying is a form of frying food characterized by the use of minimal cooking oil or fat (compared to shallow frying or deep frying), typically using just enough to lubricate the pan. In the case of a greasy food such as bacon, n ...

''Umbilicaria esculenta''

References

esculenta Lichen species Edible fungi Lichens described in 1893 Fungi used in traditional Chinese medicine {{Lecanoromycetes-stub