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''
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Umbilicaria americana''
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Umbilicaria angulata''
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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''
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Umbilicaria arctica''
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Umbilicaria bigleri''
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Umbilicaria crustulosa''
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Umbilicaria cylindrica''
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Umbilicaria daliensis''
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Umbilicaria decussata''
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Umbilicaria deusta''
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Umbilicaria dura''
– North America
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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 ...
''
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Umbilicaria hirsuta''
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Umbilicaria hispanica''
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Umbilicaria hyperborea''
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Umbilicaria iberica''
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Umbilicaria isidiosa''
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Umbilicaria leiocarpa''
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Umbilicaria maculata''
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Umbilicaria mammulata''
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Umbilicaria meizospora''
– Europe
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Umbilicaria muhlenbergii''
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Umbilicaria multistrata''
– North America
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Umbilicaria murihikuana''
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Umbilicaria nodulospora''
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Umbilicaria nylanderiana''
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Umbilicaria orientalis''
– East Asia
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Umbilicaria phaea''
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Umbilicaria platyrhiza''
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Umbilicaria polyphylla''
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Umbilicaria polyrrhiza''
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Umbilicaria proboscidea''
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Umbilicaria propagulifera''
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Umbilicaria pulvinaria''
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Umbilicaria rhizinata''
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Umbilicaria rigida''
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Umbilicaria robusta''
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Umbilicaria sinorientalis''
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Umbilicaria spodochroa''
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Umbilicaria subglabra''
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Umbilicaria torrefacta''
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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''
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Umbilicaria xizangensis''
Gallery
Image:Korean_pan_fried_mushrooms.jpg, Rock Tripe ( seogi) 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
Image:Umbilicaria_havaasii_Sotlav.jpg, '' Umbilicaria havaasii''
References
Lichen genera
{{Lecanoromycetes-stub