# Candleflame Lichen (*candelaria concolor*) The Candleflame Lichen looks like little bright orange candles on rocks! It's a fun and colorful addition to nature that helps create a healthy environment. - **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger - **Snaps:** 5 - **Habitat:** Candleflame Lichen lives on rocks in sunny, dry areas. - **Also known as:** Candle Lichen, Orange Lichen ![Candleflame Lichen](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Candelaria_concolor20101118.jpg&width=800) Photo: Tigerente, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Candelaria_concolor20101118.jpg) ## Appearance The Candleflame Lichen is a vibrant, crusty growth, often forming bright yellow to orange-yellow patches on surfaces. It has small, flattened, overlapping lobes that give it a distinctive wavy or scaly appearance. This cheerful color helps it stand out from duller grey or green lichens. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Fungi - **Phylum:** Ascomycota - **Class:** Candelariomycetes - **Order:** Candelariales - **Family:** Candelariaceae - **Genus:** Candelaria ## Interesting facts - It's a secret team of two: a fungus and a tiny alga living together as one! - Its bright color helps protect it like sunscreen from the sun's strong rays. - Lichen can grow in incredibly tough places, like on bare rock or old fences! - Some lichens are super slow growers, taking hundreds of years to get big! ## Special abilities - **Air Purity Sensor:** Candleflame Lichen can shrink or disappear in polluted air, helping scientists measure air quality. - **Solar Sugar Factory:** Candleflame Lichen has tiny algae inside that use sunlight to make food for the entire lichen. - **Drought Survivor:** Candleflame Lichen can completely dry out during droughts and then rehydrate, continuing to grow. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 0.1-0.5 cm - **Spread:** 1-5 cm - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Wind ## Ecological connections - **Symbiotic with:** Green Alga (*Trebouxia decolorans*) — provides food through photosynthesis for the fungus. - **Eats:** Golden Spider Beetle (*Ptinus fur*) — larvae may graze on various dry organic matter, including lichens. - **Shelter:** [Red Maple](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-maple) (*Acer rubrum*) — often grows harmlessly on the bark of many deciduous trees. ## Traits - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Candleflame Lichen? Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Candleflame Lichen? 0.1-0.5 cm ### How wide does Candleflame Lichen spread? 1-5 cm ### Is Candleflame Lichen edible? No ### Is Candleflame Lichen toxic? None ### What is Candleflame Lichen's lifecycle? Perennial ### How is Candleflame Lichen pollinated? Wind ### Where is Candleflame Lichen usually found? Candleflame Lichen lives on rocks in sunny, dry areas. ## Where to spot - [Blackstone Boulevard–Cole Avenue–Grotto Avenue Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blackstone-boulevard-cole-avenue-grotto-avenue-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Customhouse Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/customhouse-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Downtown Providence Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/downtown-providence-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Fox Chase Farm](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fox-chase-farm) — Pennsylvania, US · Historic Site - [India Point Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/india-point-park) — Rhode Island, US · Nature Reserve - [Jumel Terrace Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/jumel-terrace-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District [View all places to see Candleflame Lichen](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/candleflame-lichen) ## More Fungi - [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*) - [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*) - [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*) - [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*) --- Source: [Candleflame Lichen: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/candleflame-lichen)