Beard Comparison
Three species of beard lichen from the same area, left to right:
Usnea scabrata
Alectoria sarmentosa
Ramalina thrausta
All three were found on the lower twigs of doug fir in open mixed birch-conifer forest ~3000' in Canyonlands district of Wells Gray Provincial Park, BC.
Alectoria sarmentosa prefers higher elevation than Ramalina, becoming the dominant species in moist montane hemlock or spruce forests in the Pacific Northwest. Note the smooth branches with small blackened spots and tips.
Usnea scabrata seems to prefer areas with more frequent mist or fog, e.g., near ponds or creeks, but that might just be the local preference. Note the abundant tiny fibrillose and isidiate side-branches.
Note the gnarled sorediate tips of Ramalina thrausta. It is also more straw-colored than the other two species, which tend to have more usnic acid and are correspondingly greener-looking.
In other regions, other species of Usnea replace U. scabrata. Several species have long-pendent forms which closely resemble Alectoria sarmentosa and Ramalina thrausta, e.g., U. longissima, U. filipendula, U. trichodea, U. cavernosa, etc. Note that all species of Usnea have a minute rubber-band-like central cord. This is easily observable in the field by taking hold of one thickish branch and stretching it until it snaps.
Beard Comparison
Three species of beard lichen from the same area, left to right:
Usnea scabrata
Alectoria sarmentosa
Ramalina thrausta
All three were found on the lower twigs of doug fir in open mixed birch-conifer forest ~3000' in Canyonlands district of Wells Gray Provincial Park, BC.
Alectoria sarmentosa prefers higher elevation than Ramalina, becoming the dominant species in moist montane hemlock or spruce forests in the Pacific Northwest. Note the smooth branches with small blackened spots and tips.
Usnea scabrata seems to prefer areas with more frequent mist or fog, e.g., near ponds or creeks, but that might just be the local preference. Note the abundant tiny fibrillose and isidiate side-branches.
Note the gnarled sorediate tips of Ramalina thrausta. It is also more straw-colored than the other two species, which tend to have more usnic acid and are correspondingly greener-looking.
In other regions, other species of Usnea replace U. scabrata. Several species have long-pendent forms which closely resemble Alectoria sarmentosa and Ramalina thrausta, e.g., U. longissima, U. filipendula, U. trichodea, U. cavernosa, etc. Note that all species of Usnea have a minute rubber-band-like central cord. This is easily observable in the field by taking hold of one thickish branch and stretching it until it snaps.