




umbilicaria mammulata
The Smooth Rock Tripe is a fascinating lichen that grows on rocks! Its smooth, leathery surface is fun to touch and explore.
Habitat: You can find it on rocky surfaces in forests and mountains.
The Smooth Rock Tripe is a large, leathery lichen, ranging from olive-green to dark brown. Its surface is often wrinkled, resembling dry tripe. It attaches to rocks by a single central point, making it distinct from flat-growing lichens.





Category
FungiRarity
Common
Danger
0/5 · No known danger
Snaps
23
Astronauts study lichens like this to learn how life might survive on other planets!
It's so tough, it can survive being frozen solid or completely dried out for months!
Some chefs use it as a wilderness survival food, adding it to soups and stews!
This rock-dwelling organism isn't just one living thing, but two best friends!
Smooth Rock Tripe can dry out completely and rehydrate because of special cells that protect it from damage.
Smooth Rock Tripe has an algal partner that helps them make food using sunlight and carbon dioxide.
Smooth Rock Tripe can slowly break down rocks because of acids they produce, helping to create new soil.
Smooth Rock Tripe has cryoprotective compounds that help them survive freezing temperatures in harsh environments.
Trebouxia erici
Provides sugars through photosynthesis for the fungus.

Rangifer tarandus
A crucial winter food source for arctic animals.
Arthonia varians
Feeds on the tissues of this lichen host.
Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment.
This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
Danger
0/5 · No known danger
No special safety notes yet.
The easiest way to identify Smooth Rock Tripe is to use the Snappit nature identifier app.
edible
You can find it on rocky surfaces in forests and mountains.
other
Year-round
White
Zoom in to split clusters and explore where this object has been snapped.
May 23, 2026
Canton Center Historic DistrictPhoto attribution
no rights reserved
License: CC0 1.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.
Aug 24, 2025
Mattatuck State ForestPhoto attribution
(c) Timothy Watkins, some rights reserved (CC BY)
License: CC BY 4.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.
Jul 20, 2024
The MonolithsPhoto attribution
(c) Greg P, some rights reserved (CC BY)
License: CC BY 4.0 ↗
Image may be shown cropped inside the card frame.

Connecticut, US
You might spot Green Frog and Mountain Laurel.
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New York, US
You might spot American Toad and Intermediate Wood Fern.
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Connecticut, US
You might spot Downy Woodpecker and Eastern Gray Squirrel.
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Ontario, CA
You might spot Painted Turtle, Common Watersnake, and Pickerelweed.
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Wisconsin, US
You might spot American Cancer-Root and Eastern White Pine.
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West Virginia, US
You might spot Great Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel.
View guide →