Alectoria sarmentosa

Alectoria sarmentosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Parmeliaceae
Genus: Alectoria
Species:
A. sarmentosa
Binomial name
Alectoria sarmentosa
(Ach.) Ach. (1810)
Synonyms
  • Lichen sarmentosus Ach. (1792)

Alectoria sarmentosa (common witch's-hair lichen[1]) is a long-lived, perennial witch's-hair lichen. It is a light greenish colored and fruticose or bushy bodied. This epiphytic lichen belongs to the family Parmeliaceae and the suborder Lecanorineae, which includes six similar species.[2] A. sarmentosa grows draped or strung over conifer tree limbs and deciduous shrub branches in Northern temperate rainforest. This lichen favors mature and old growth, wet conifer and hardwood forests with clean air.[3] A. sarmentosa is sensitive to air pollution and used for air quality monitoring.[4] Areas required by A. sarmentosa are found in northern and southern temperate zones and receive high rainfall.[5] This lichen is commonly found in transitional areas between valley and mountainous forests, but usually avoiding the immediate coast.

The common name for A. sarmentosa is witch's hair lichen. This common name is used for most Alectoria species. A similar-looking species commonly confused with A. sarmentosa is Usnea longissima. These lichens are similar in color and growth patterns but A. sarmentosa lacks a central chord that characterizes the genus Usnea.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada". National General Status Working Group. 2020.
  2. ^ "Classification of Alectoria Ach. | USDA PLANTS." Plant Database and Classification | USDA PLANTS. United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
  3. ^ McCune, Bruce, Linda Geiser, Sylvia Duran Sharnoff, Stephen Sharnoff, and Alexander G. Mikulin. Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest. Corvallis: Oregon State UP, 1997. Print.
  4. ^ McCune, Bruce, Linda Geiser, Sylvia Duran Sharnoff, Stephen Sharnoff, and Alexander G. Mikulin. Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest. Corvallis: Oregon State UP, 1997. Print.
  5. ^ "Witch's Hair · University of Puget Sound." University of Puget Sound, Slater Museum of Natural History. University of Puget Sound, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
  6. ^ Pojar, Jim, A. MacKinnon, and Paul B. Alaback. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska. Redmond, WA: Lone Pine Pub., 1994. Print.
  7. ^ "Witch's Hair · University of Puget Sound." University of Puget Sound, Slater Museum of Natural History. University of Puget Sound, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.