Rock tripe is the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

for various

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 ...

s 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'' 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 New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

and the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

. They are edible when properly prepared; soaking extensively and boiling with changes of water removes the bitterness and purgative properties. They have been used as a

famine food A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or ready available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such as dro ...

in extreme cases when other food sources were unavailable, as by early American northern explorers. ''

Umbilicaria esculenta ''Umbilicaria esculenta'', the rock tripe or Iwa-take, is a lichen of the genus '' Umbilicaria'' that grows on rocks. Morphology Two different types of polysaccharides are known to be the structural components, both a heteroglycan from the fun ...

'' is commonly used as a food in

Asian cuisine Asian cuisine encompasses several significant regional cooking styles of Asia: Central Asian, East Asian, North Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and West Asian. Cuisine is a distinctive way of cooking practices and customs, usually associat ...

and a restorative medicine in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

Species

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Umbilicaria ahtii 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 ...

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Umbilicaria americana ''Umbilicaria americana'', commonly known as frosted rock tripe, is a foliose lichen of rock faces. Description ''Umbilicaria americana'' has been described as looking like "grayish-white potato chips." The upper surface is gray with the appeara ...

'' *'' Umbilicaria angulata'' *''

Umbilicaria antarctica Rock tripe is the List of common names of lichen genera, 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 Am ...

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Umbilicaria aprina ''Umbilicaria aprina'' is a species of foliose lichen in the family Umbilicariaceae. It is primarily found on exposed boulders in high alpine and polar regions worldwide. Taxonomy ''Umbilicaria aprina'' was first described by the Finnish lic ...

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Umbilicaria arctica 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 ...

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Umbilicaria bigleri 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 ...

'' *'' Umbilicaria crustulosa'' *''

Umbilicaria cylindrica ''Umbilicaria cylindrica'', commonly known as the fringed rock tripe, is a leafy lichen found in cold, high-altitude and polar regions across the globe. It forms roughly circular thalli measuring between 2–10 centimetres and is easily recog ...

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Umbilicaria daliensis 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 ...

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Umbilicaria decussata ''Umbilicaria decussata'' is a widespread species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) foliose lichen in the family Umbilicariaceae. It typically grows in high-elevation alpine environments. Taxonomy It was described as a new species in 1789 by the ...

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Umbilicaria deusta ''Umbilicaria deusta'', commonly known as peppered rock tripe, is a widely distributed species of saxicolous lichen in the family Umbilicariaceae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work ''Species Plantarum'' as ''Lichen polyphy ...

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Umbilicaria dura 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 ...

'' – North America *''

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Umbilicaria hirsuta 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 ...

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Umbilicaria hispanica 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 ...

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Umbilicaria hyperborea ''Umbilicaria hyperborea'', commonly known as blistered rock tripe, is a species of foliose lichen in the family Umbilicariaceae. It is widely distributed in arctic and alpine regions. Taxonomy It was first described as a new species by Swedish ...

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Umbilicaria iberica 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 ...

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Umbilicaria isidiosa ''Umbilicaria isidiosa'' is a species of foliose lichen belonging to the family Umbilicariaceae. It is endemic to Bolivia, where it occurs in high-altitude regions of the Bolivian Andes. It is distinguished by its thallus, which has an upper sur ...

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Umbilicaria leiocarpa ''Umbilicaria leiocarpa'', commonly known as textured rock tripe, is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), lichen in the family Umbilicariaceae. First described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1805, it is characterised by its small to me ...

'' *'' Umbilicaria maculata'' *'' Umbilicaria mammulata'' *'' Umbilicaria meizospora'' – Europe *'' Umbilicaria muhlenbergii'' *'' Umbilicaria multistrata'' – North America *'' Umbilicaria murihikuana'' *'' Umbilicaria nodulospora'' *'' Umbilicaria nylanderiana'' *'' Umbilicaria orientalis'' – East Asia *'' Umbilicaria phaea'' *'' Umbilicaria platyrhiza'' *'' Umbilicaria polyphylla'' *'' Umbilicaria polyrrhiza'' *'' Umbilicaria proboscidea'' *'' Umbilicaria propagulifera'' *'' Umbilicaria pulvinaria'' *'' Umbilicaria rhizinata'' *'' Umbilicaria rigida'' *'' Umbilicaria robusta'' *'' Umbilicaria sinorientalis'' *'' Umbilicaria spodochroa'' *'' Umbilicaria subglabra'' *'' Umbilicaria torrefacta'' *''

Umbilicaria vellea ''Umbilicaria vellea'' is a species of lichen in the genus ''Umbilicaria''. It is sometimes called navel lichen. It is found in North America and Europe in alpine and arctic habitats. It is similar to the species ''Umbilicaria americana'', whi ...

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Umbilicaria virginis 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 ...

'' *'' Umbilicaria xizangensis''

Gallery

Image:Korean_pan_fried_mushrooms.jpg, Rock Tripe (

seogi ''Umbilicaria esculenta'', the rock tripe or Iwa-take, is a lichen of the genus ''Umbilicaria'' that grows on rocks. Morphology Two different types of polysaccharides are known to be the structural components, both a heteroglycan from the fung ...

) with pine nuts File:Tripes de Roche.jpg, Lichens of the type eaten by

John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Northern Canada, Canadia ...

's men on their journey back from the

Coppermine River The Coppermine River is a river in the North Slave Region, North Slave and Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut, Kitikmeot regions of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada. It is long. It rises in Lac de Gras, a small lake near Great Slave Lake, a ...

Image:Hiroshige II - Kishu kumano iwatake tori - Shokoku meisho hyakkei.jpg, ''Kishū kumano iwatake tori'' (" Iwatake mushroom gathering at Kumano in Kishu") 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 ...

Image:Umbilicaria_havaasii_Sotlav.jpg, '' Umbilicaria havaasii''

References

Lichen genera {{Lecanoromycetes-stub