The genus is in the family Parmeliaceae. Lichens or Lichen family. If you have images for this taxon that you would like to share The morphological characters traditionally used for species recognition of a number of European Usnea species have been analyzed regarding their reliability. Though lichens appear to be single plants, they are really a combination of fungus and algae that grow together for their mutual benefit. This page was last edited on 12 March 2019, at 06:31. datasets have provided data to the NBN Atlas for this species. Systematics and taxonomy of Usnea cornuta, U. flammea and U. fragilescens are discussed. ex Adans. (Witches' Whiskers Lichen) Interactions where Usnea florida is the victim or passive partner (and generally loses out from the process) . on neither of them, or even in their vicinity, the occurrence of this species has been Fig. Dedicated to the conservation of lichens in Wales. Use our online forum to join the conversation about nature in the UK. (2000) (Fourth edition) Usnea (pp. But it undoubtedly was! Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Its distribution can however be very patchy with one tree supporting a lot of colonies whilst on adjacent trees it may be absent. In Chinese Medicine several types of Usnea were used. This page was last edited on 24 November 2014, at 06:56. et al (eds. Plant name: Usnea spp. Go To Encyclopedia of Life... Family: Parmeliaceae [Lichen floridus L., more ] Open Interactive Map. In Scotland it is confined to the extreme south-west whilst in Ireland it is a scarce species most frequently encountered in the far west. please upload using the upload tools. Nordic Journal of Botany 7 : 479 – 495 . ElMokni, R. & Clerc, P. 2020. Yale University Press, New Haven and London. Usnea florida and U. subfloridana have earlier been regarded to form a species pair, but the species pairs concept cannot be applied in this case. Today Usnea is used for infections … with NBN Atlas, It is reported from most 10km squares in mid and west Wales and declines rapidly in abundance as the English border is approached, probably as a result of atmospheric pollutants rather than climate or a lack of suitable substrate. Habit of Usnea florida from Site I (Kościelniak, KRAP-L). species Usnea dasopoga (Ach.) It is thought to be extinct in Denmark. Usnea florida (L.) F.H. So far no great extension in range has been noted following the almost total elimination of sulphur dioxide as an atmospheric pollutant. The 8 Usnea Usnea species are the most common source of antibioti.c and antifungal lichen acids, particularly usnic acid. species Usnea foveata Vain. Fact Sheet for Usnea longissima 3 Range, Distribution, and Abundance: Historically, this taxon was fairly common and nearly circumboreal in distribution, occurring in eastern and western North America, Scandinavia, Europe, Asia (including China, Indonesia, India, and Bhutan) and Africa (Keon 1. Introduction The genus Usnea Dill. Usnea has been used in traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years and also has a long tradition of use in Western Botanical medicine. Usnea Usnea, or Old Man's Beard, hangs in gray-green strands from pines, oaks, Douglas fir, apple trees and other fruit trees in orchards and forests throughout the northern hemisphere. So far Usnea florida has been reported from the Polish eastern carpathians from a site near lesko (Rydzak 1955) and from the hill of Falowa near Kalnica (Glanc, tobolewski 1960). Hectad Distribution in Wales/Link to NBN Gateway Map. Usnea viktoriana (Ascomycota, Parmeliaceae), a new European taxon of the Usnea barbata-dasopoga group, with a key to the shrubby-subpendulous sorediate Usnea species in Europe - Volume 50 Issue 5 - Philippe CLERC, Volker OTTE Wigg. What is Usnea Used for? Two new N-African records in the genus Usnea (Parmeliaceae, lichenized Ascomycota) from Kroumiria, NW Tunisia. species Usnea diplotypa Vain. Usnea species have been used medicinally for over a thousand years. Wigg. Distribution and habitat Usnea trichodea occurs in eastern North America where it grows on trees. Clerc, P. (1987) Systematics of the Usnea fragilescens aggregate and its distribution in Scandinavia. It is accorded Near Threatened status in Britain but is considered to be of Least Concern in Wales. It is a national BAP species and is listed on Sect 42 of the NERC Act in Wales. In woodland it may be frequent high in the canopy and only be revealed following gales or heavy snowfall when a search of the ground often reveals fine specimens dislodged from the canopy. Clerc, P. (1987 b) Systematics of the Usnea fragilescens aggregate and its distribution in Scandinavia. Browse the list of datasets and find organisations you can join if you are When well-developed this is one of the most conspicuous and beautiful of all lichens. Usnea florida forms a bush of thin branches often ending in flat spore-producing discs and can grow to 10-20 cm long. both sites are situated outside the bieszczady national Park. There are no human clinical trials to either support or refute either practice, although in vitro research does strongly support Usnea's antimicrobial properties. Usnea is a really cool herb! Of course we did not pick it off the trees, that is a no no!!!! There are a number of other Usnea species that superficially resemble this species though none develop such large fruiting discs whilst remaining erect and shrub-like. A distribution map was created based on data collected by studying herbarium specimens, literary sources and fieldwork. The Lichens of Great Britain and Ireland. It is a national BAP species and is listed on Sect 42 of the NERC Act in Wales. It has been used to treat surface wounds when sterile gauze and modern antibiotics were unavailable. The morphological characters traditionally used for species recognition of a number of European Usnea species have been analyzed regarding their reliability. It forms rounded, upright, yellow-green shrub-like colonies on the twigs and smaller branches of trees and shrubs and occasionally on the timber of fences and gates. It is reported from Africa, Asia and North and South America (Smith et al (2009)) though it finds no place in Lichens of North America (Brodo et al (2001)). All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the Creative Commons CC0 License; all unstructured text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. British Lichen Society, London. Our recent discoveries constitute further records for the south shore of the Mediterranean. Urinary Tract Support, Immune Support. It also occurs on wood of dead standing trees and on chemically untreated or well-weathered sawn timber. Usnea florida (L.) F.H. interested in participating in a survey for Distribution of the sites of Usnea florida in the Bieszczady National Park on a back- ground of ATPOL net. Usnea is a genus of mostly pale grayish-green fruticose lichens that grow like leafless mini-shrubs or tassels anchored on bark or twigs. The Plants Database includes the following 87 species of Usnea . Clerc , P. ( 1992 ) Some new or interesting species of the genus Usnea (lichenised Ascomycetes) in the British Isles . The base of the lichen is brown to black and the stems and branches when examined with a x10 hand lens are covered in warts and lack any short fragile clusters of branches (isidia) or eruptions of tiny patches of flour-like granules (soredia). Most species contain usnic acid amongst other substances which is recognised as a potent antibiotic and antifungal agent, effective against all gram-positive and tuberculosis bacterial species. Usnea is a type of lichen that grows on trees. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. It grows all over the world. Other Usnea species such as the also regularly fertile U. subfloridana have now recolonised parts of the English midlands. These latter structures are found in the rather similar Usnea subfloridana that can also have flower-like reproductive structure, though these seldom reach 0.5cm in diameter. Native Americans employed it as a compress applied to severe battle wounds to prevent infection and gangrene. – Herzogia 33: 257–261.Usnea articulata and U. esperantiana are reported as new to Tunisia. Show All Show Tabs Florida beard lichen Compiled distribution map provided by [data resource not known], This map contains both point- and grid-based occurrences at different resolutions. It is accorded Near Threatened status in Britain but is considered to be of Least Concern in Wales. Donate / Support the NBN Atlas and the NBN Trust, Search BHL for references to Usnea florida, Usnea florida : Witches' Whiskers Lichen. Smith, C.W. Many tree branches fell with all the bad weather up there so all we had to do was pick it up. Brodo, I.M., Sharnoff, S. D. & Sharnoff, S. (2001). Usnea may be whitish, reddish, or black. It is very sensitive to sulphur dioxide pollution and requiring an acidic substrate may also be sensitive to ammonia pollution. Usnea is also used directly on the skin for sore throat and for athlete's foot . The specific indications were for infections with signs of heat and dampness: redness, yellow pus, fast pulse, etc. Abstract: A key for 32 Usnea species which have been reliably recorded in Europe is presented; short descriptions, extrapolated distribution maps and photographs of diagnostic characters are provided for each species. (RLL List # 132 / Rec.# 3371 - Recent Literature on Lichens) Clerc, P. (1991) Usnea madeirensis Mot. Systematics and taxonomy of Usnea cornuta, U. flammea and U. fragilescens are discussed. Usnea florida (Florida Beard Lichen) is a species of Fungi in the family Parmeliaceae. It is reported in the rest of the world from Macronesia, western and central Europe eastwards to Turkey and in Russia eastwards to the Caucasus, though only just extends north into southern Scandinavia and avoids the Mediterranean region in the south in a distribution that might be described as suboceanic. In England it is frequent only in the south-west where a recent notable decline in its abundance has been reported. (ascomycète lichénisé): une espèce méconnue de ľEurope et de ľAmérique du Nord. Usnea florida occurs in mountain forests at … Other Usnea species such as the also regularly fertile U. subfloridana have now recolonised parts of the English midlands. Wigg. Usnea is used for weight loss, pain, fever, and wound healing, and to make phlegm easier to cough up. Lichens grow in colorful, flat patches. Usually abundantly fertile, its fruits are flat circular discs (apothecia) up to a centimetre or more in diameter surrounded by a fringe of finger-like lobes resembling an image of the sun or a flower. Compounds reported in this aggregate include lobaric acid (new to the genus). Usnea florida and U. subfloridana have earlier been regarded to form a species pair, but the species pairs concept cannot be applied in this case. The morphology, chemistry and distribution of these species in Europe are described and a first attempt is made to provide a key for the erect‐bushy to subpendant and sorediate species in Scandinavia. EOL has data for 4 attributes , including: geographic distribution includes Its range extends from Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and eastern Quebec in Canada, southwards to Texas and Florida in the United States. 389-398) In, Lichens: An illustrated guide to the British and Irish species. Usnea florida (L.) Weber ex F.H. The morphology, chemistry and distribution of these species in Europe are described and a … Abstract: The lichen Usnea florida is a critically endangered species of the Slovak lichen flora. species Usnea cornuta Körb. species like Usnea florida (L.) F.H. species Usnea esperantiana P. Clerc species Usnea flammea Stirt. - building a Global Consortium of Bryophytes and Lichens as keystones of cryptobiotic communities - Login New Account Distribution maps of Usnea species presented in the traditional key were composed using the listed local checklists and taxonomic papers, as well as lichen samples from herbaria mentioned above. species Usnea ceratina Ach. It is a lichen that grows on trees and you can find tons of it where the air is cleanest. Family: Usneaceae Common names: Old man’s beard. Wigg. It is very sensitive to sulphur dioxide pollution and tended to be more frequent in sheltered but well lit sites such as open willow carr in valley bottoms yet it now seems equally at home on exposed hawthorns and rowans around the upland fringes. Usnea cavernosa Tuck. ), (2009). datasets have provided data to the NBN Atlas for this species.. Browse the list of datasets and find organisations you can join if you are interested in participating in a survey for species like Usnea florida … Wigg. It’s difficult for us to know how this particular herb was used in European history. Nyl. Click below on a thumbnail map or name for species profiles. Describing the sort of place it might be found is not easy. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the Creative Commons CC0 License; all unstructured text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. (Description of U. florida, and distribution map for the Sonoran Desert Region: p. 318) Dobson, F.S. Nordic Journal of Botany 7: 479–495. It occurs on well lit twigs and small branches (very rarely on trunks) of a wide range of acid barked trees and shrubs such as hawthorn, birch, oak and larch and in areas subject to acid rain it can occur on almost any type of woody species. is a … Before a certain time period all lichens were referred to as the same herb, so it’s hard to distinguish how usnea in particular was used. The following relationships have been collated from the published literature (see 'References'). It is also said to be edible and to contain a high level of vitamin C. In modern American herbal medicine, Usnea is primarily used in lung and upper respiratory tract infections, and urinary tract infections. Click to Display 100 Initial Images - - - - - View All Images. We found enough for everyone at the retreat up in Highlands. Usnea Usnea – Usnea spp. Traditional Health Benefits of Usnea. Usnea, also known as Beard lichen, tree’s dandruff, woman’s long hair, or tree moss, old man’s beard, Beard Moss, Mousse D Arbre, oak moss, Sodium Usniate, Usnea Barbata, Usnea Florida, Usnea Hirta, Usnea Lichen is a lichen, a symbiotic relationship between an algae and fungus.The fungus belongs to the division Ascomycota, while the alga is a member of the division Chlorophyta. Wales holds almost half the British population of this species, being recorded from all vice-counties except Flintshire and with no recent records from Monmouthshire. Lichens of North America. Occasionally specimens will be encountered that cannot be confidently named and recent work on gene sequences suggests U. florida and U. subfloridana are very closely related. species Usnea flavocardia Räsänen species Usnea florida (L.) F.H. A decline has been noted in SW England possibly ascribed to rising ammonia levels.