Lobaria | |
---|---|
Lobaria pulmonaria | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
Order: | Peltigerales |
Family: | Peltigeraceae |
Genus: | Lobaria (Schreb.) Hoffm. (1796) |
Type species | |
Lobaria pulmonaria | |
Synonyms[1] | |
Lobaria is a genus of foliose lichens, formerly classified in the family Lobariaceae, but now placed in the Peltigeraceae. They are commonly known as "lung wort" or "lungmoss" as their physical shape somewhat resembles a lung, and their ecological niche is similar to that of moss.
Lobaria are unusual in that they have a three-part symbiosis, containing a fungus, and an alga (as other lichens do), but also a cyanobacterium that fixes nitrogen.