# Lungwort Lichen (*Lobaria quercizans Michx.*)

Lungwort lichen is a unique organism that grows on trees in forests. It looks like tiny green or blue leaves and helps keep the forest healthy.

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Forests
- **Also known as:** Lungwort Moss

![Lungwort Lichen](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Lobaria_quercizans-1.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Ed Uebel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lobaria_quercizans-1.jpg)

## Appearance

The Lungwort Lichen has large, leafy, grey-green lobes that are deeply wrinkled and crumpled, resembling lung tissue. Its surface is often covered in small, raised structures, while the underside is pale and fuzzy, adorned with dark spots. This texture and color make it distinctly stand out on tree bark.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Ascomycota
- **Class:** Lecanoromycetes
- **Order:** Peltigerales
- **Family:** Lobariaceae
- **Genus:** Ricasolia

## Interesting facts

- Ancient doctors once thought its shape meant it could cure lung illness.
- Deer and elk munch on this lichen for food in snowy winters!
- It grows super slowly, sometimes just millimeters a year!
- It's like a tiny sponge, soaking up water and holding it!

## Special abilities

- **Self-Feeder:** Lungwort Lichen can make its own food using sunlight because it contains tiny algae that perform photosynthesis.
- **Air Quality Sensor:** Lungwort Lichen has a special sensitivity to pollution that helps scientists know if the air is clean or dirty.
- **Nitrogen Factory:** Lungwort Lichen can help enrich the soil because it has cyanobacteria that capture nitrogen from the air.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 5-20 cm
- **Edible:** inedible
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Year-round

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [White-tailed Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Deer graze on lichen during harsh winters.
- **Depends on:** [Northern Red Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-red-oak) (*Quercus rubra*) — Grows primarily on the bark of mature oak trees.
- **Symbiotic with:** Nostoc (*Nostoc commune*) — A cyanobacterium that provides the lichen with nitrogen.

## Traits

- [Lichen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/lichen): This trait describes a composite organism resulting from a symbiotic association between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, typically an alga or cyanobacterium.
- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [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.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Lungwort lichen is safe to observe but avoid touching or picking it to protect its environment.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Lungwort 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 Lungwort Lichen?

5-20 cm

### Is Lungwort Lichen edible?

inedible

### Where is Lungwort Lichen usually found?

Forests

### What does Lungwort Lichen grow on?

wood

### When is Lungwort Lichen in season?

Year-round

## 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*)

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Source: [Lungwort Lichen: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lungwort-lichen)