''Usnea '' is a species of
beard lichen
''Usnea'' is a genus of fruticose lichen, fruticose lichens in the large family Parmeliaceae. The genus, which currently contains roughly 130 species, was established by Michel Adanson in 1763. Species in the genus grow like leafless mini-shrubs ...
in the family
Parmeliaceae
The Parmeliaceae is a large and diverse family of Lecanoromycetes. With over 2700 species in 71 genera, it is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi. The most speciose genera in the family are the well-known groups: '' Xanthoparmelia'' ( 82 ...
. It was
described as a new species in 1925 by Finnish lichenologist
Edvard August Vainio
Edvard August Vainio (born Edvard Lang; 5 August 185314 May 1929) was a Finnish lichenology, lichenologist. His early works on the lichens of Lapland (Finland), Lapland, his three-volume monograph on the lichen genus ''Cladonia'', and, in part ...
. The lichen has a richly branched
thallus
Thallus (: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. A thallus usually names the entir ...
, and the branches have depressions and
foveolae. It is widely distributed in Europe.
See also
*
List of ''Usnea'' species
References
lapponica
Lichen species
Lichens described in 1925
Lichens of Europe
Taxa named by Edvard August Vainio
{{Parmeliaceae-stub